Kelly Crow interviewed Matthew Marks on the occasion of his opening a Los Angeles gallery space. In the interview, Marks, who also represents Jasper Johns and Robert Gober, explains what his artists are most concerned with in terms of an audience:
The Wall Street Journal: What triggered your interest in expanding to Los Angeles?
Matthew Marks:Â I first thought about going to Europe, but I show a lot of European artists who like having an American dealer, so it seemed like the right thing to do, to stay in this country.
I also realized the artists I work with do not show here very much. Brice Marden has never had a one-person show in Los Angeles, for instance. Even Ellsworth Kelly, who has shown more widely than any of my artists, hasn’t had a major show here in 15 years. So that means a whole generation of these younger artists who are growing up here haven’t seen my artists’ works up close unless they’ve traveled to New York or seen their works in a museum.
Same goes for local collectors?
Yes, but my artists are more interested in showing their work to other artists. That is the audience they care most about.
A Western Outpost for Kelly, Johns (Wall Street Journal)
