An art world power couple who held senior positions at Gagosian – chief operating officer Andrew Fabricant and his wife Laura Paulson, director of Gagosian Art Advisory – have left the gallery. Founder Larry Gagosian announced his departures in an email to his staff on Thursday (June 13).
“Andrew Fabricant and Laura Paulson are no longer with the gallery,” Gagosian said in a statement The Journal of Art. “At this point in the evolution of the gallery, we reached the point where I decided it was time to part ways. We appreciate their contributions over the past few years and wish them the best. The gallery is fortunate to have a great depth of talent and leadership in place – a strong operational infrastructure complemented by the most talented and experienced director team in the industry.” The departures of Fabricant and Paulson were first reported by Bloomberg.
Fabricant worked at Gagosian in various capacities over half a century, beginning in 1983 in Los Angeles. In 1996 he left to work for Chicago dealer Richard Gray, overseeing the gallery’s expansion into New York. After more than 20 years at Richard Gray, Fabricant returned to Gagosian in 2018; the following year he became the gallery’s director of operations. In 2022 he was appointed to the gallery’s newly formed board of directors.
Paulson, who held the same title of chief operating officer at Gagosian Art Advisory, a custom advisory business he helped launch in 2019 to compete more directly with leading auction houses in the secondary market, was previously the global president of 20th-century art at Christie’s. . He secured a number of high-profile consignments for the auction house, including the Picasso-rich collection of Victor and Sally Ganz and the collection of David Pincus, with its plethora of Abstract Expressionist treasures. At Gagosian, his focus shifted to the valuation side of the advisory business, while his colleagues focused on transaction brokerage.
In his email to staff, Gagosian alluded to upcoming changes in the consulting business. “I see a lot of potential in developing that business alongside our core gallery operations and will share more about those plans in the near future,” he said. The transaction-focused side of the advisory business is currently led by Bernie Lagrange, Michael Walker and Sophia Penske.
The high-profile renovations at Gagosian’s main gallery business and consulting (technically a separate business, based in the same premises at 980 Madison Avenue as the gallery’s New York offices) come as questions about the gallery’s future loom. With nearly 20 locations worldwide and a roster of more than 100 artists and artists’ estates, Gagosian is one of the largest players in the art market and, for many reasons, the largest in the gallery sector.
Even before the gallery’s board of directors was set in 2022, many in the industry were speculating about what would happen to the company when its founder and namesake – now 78 – retires. Even amid such speculation, the gallery continued to grow its footprint, adding new artists to its roster and bringing in senior staff. Most recently, Brooke Lampley, Sotheby’s Global President and Worldwide Head of Fine Art, left the auction house to take a senior director position at Gagosian.
“The gallery has never been in a stronger place,” Gagosian wrote in his email to staff on Thursday. “All aspects of the business are operating at the highest possible level, and I have tremendous confidence in our day-to-day operations and our plans for the future.”
Neither Fabricant nor Paulson had responded The Journal of Artrequests for comments as of the time of publication.
