The American mega dealer Larry Gagosian consolidates its position in Switzerland and expands its reach in Zurich with the appointment of Andreas Rumbler as director of the gallery in Switzerland. Rumbler, who will be based in Zurich, joins Gagosian after a career spanning nearly three decades at Christie’s, where he served as President of Switzerland for nearly a decade before partnering with Lévy Gorvy and then operating as a reseller. independent in Zurich.
Joining Gagosian this summer, Rumbler will oversee operations and initiatives at the gallery’s three existing Swiss locations. Gagosian opened its first Swiss gallery in Geneva in 2010, opening further spaces in Basel in 2019 and Gstaad in 2022.
According to Andrew Fabrication, Managing Director of Gagosian, Rumbler’s appointment “will unite our current Swiss galleries around a common vision”. Rumbler says there are no immediate plans to open a gallery in Zurich. His goal is to develop the Swiss market, which he says is currently not functioning as a whole. “Is there a Swiss market? I don’t know. There is a strong market in several places in Switzerland, but I wouldn’t call it a Swiss market.”
He notes that “a lot of quality people” meet in Switzerland. “These are people who like doing business in Switzerland; often they like to buy art in Switzerland and some of them have moved to Switzerland. So it makes perfect sense to bring them more art.
A favorable business climate, including low tax rates and strong privacy laws, makes Switzerland an attractive place to settle. In the wake of Brexit, Switzerland is also an increasingly attractive trading partner for the UK. According to UK government figures, trade between the two countries increased by 33% between 2021 and 2022. Works of art were the third most exported good from the UK to Switzerland in 2022, accounting for 654.1 million pounds sterling or 3.5% of exports.
