Gallerist Q&A – Magnus Karlsson

Traditionally dealers / gallerists came from the same social group as the collectors. Recently there has been a shift towards coming from the artists' side. Where would you say you started?

I started very young and very enthusiastically in a small city. I was engaged in work at a local TV station and made short films. We also arranged an amateur film festival which I think was important for me.

Many of my friends were struggling young actors, musicians and artists, or at least wanted to be. I opened my business trying to make a living as a graphic designer. One room was my office, the rest of the space became a gallery. I had no idea that this path would come to define my life. Those first steps are now more than 30 years ago.

You walk into the packed dining room of the restaurant at Kunsthalle Basel the night of the opening of ART Basel. There are two large tables: one full of artists, one full of collectors. You can choose one table for the evening. Where do you sit and why?

I rarely find myself in this situation, but if so, I would probably sit with the artists. However I think it is interesting to create a social platform (a gallery) where these two worlds meet.

I work for the artist, not for the collector, but I try to arrange a situation where they can interact. Generally I want to spread art to an audience that is as wide as possible, to make it an essential part of our society. I think at this point art becomes even more important for the collector as well.

What are the ethics of your job? Have they changed since you started?

I try to follow my heart and never the money, choosing the collaborations that I’m personally interested and engaged in.

Of course I have a responsibility towards the artists and maybe also the public, but I’m also constantly reminding myself that I can do whatever I want. The more established you get, you also get a heavy rucksack and lots of obligations and expectations. But in order to be a good gallerist I think it is very important to be a happy gallerist.

I want to follow my ideas and impulses and to be open for new challenges. For example, the gallery doesn’t have to solely concern itself with visual arts, it can be a place for all kinds of culture to melt together.

The American comedian Chris Rock said, Michael Jackson is rich, the guy who signs his cheques is wealthy. Anthony D'Offay said, you can get rich selling art but you get wealthy buying art. Do you collect art? From the artists you represent? More widely?

I collect artworks from some of the artists we present at the gallery, but it is often hard to find the right circumstances. I never buy the ’best’ work from my own exhibitions, but sometimes the timing and the work is right.

I’m also interested in some specific artists from the past that I follow on the secondary market. They are kind of forgotten artists that I think deserved greater recognition.