Much of the art world revolves around questions of value, not only in terms of appraisals and price tags, but also: what is worth your time in These Times, as well as your energy? , your attention and, yes, your hard-earned money?
What calculations do you make to determine the meaning and value of something? What moves you? What enriches your life? In this new series, we ask individuals from the art world and beyond about the assessments they make on a personal level.
Chloe Waddington is set to be the toast of the New York art world this week, and no accident.
Over the past few years, Timothy Taylor Gallery Partner Waddington has quietly guided the London gallery towards expansion into New York. Formerly housed in a small outpost in Chelsea, this week Timothy Taylor opens the doors to the sprawling new 6,000 square foot Tribeca space, designed by studioMDA.
The new space is one of Waddington’s many ambitions for the gallery and underlines the rapid crescendo of his tenure. She joined the gallery in 2019 as director of New York, after positions at Christie’s and David Kordansky. From the start, she set her sights on the higher gallery. In just a year, Taylor had named her partner — her first partner in the gallery’s more than two-decade history — a stark indication of what she brings to the table.
“I was lucky that Tim allowed me, almost from day one, to expand the gallery’s presence in the United States and take some risks,” Waddington explained. “The most rewarding part has been the opportunity to grow the program with a new generation of artists, including Hilary Pecis, Honor Titus, Hayal Pozanti and Jiab Prachakul, all of whom connect to the DNA of great gallery painters, like Alex Katz and Eddie Martinez, but who are completely fresh and who have received incredible support from collectors, curators and critics through exhibitions and gallery efforts.
Timothy Taylor and Chloe Waddington. Photograph by Weston Wells.
Global thinking also seems to be paying off. THE inaugural exhibition—delightfully colorful paintings by a Turkish artist Hayal Pozanti—is already exhausted. Waddington cannot hide his enthusiasm for the artist.
“Hayal is a phenomenal painter and an inspiring person,” she said. “She was born in Turkey, where her mother was one of the first female computer programmers in the country, and came to the United States to receive her MFA at Yale. Her earlier work was influenced by the linguistics of computing and digital technology, but in recent years she has merged this focus with an interest in the landscape and the natural world, resulting in these lush canvases made with oil stick, which straddle the line between abstraction and figuration.
Waddington brings those high fires of passion to everything she does. When she is outside the gallery, she can be found having lunch at La Mercerie, meeting friends by telephone, and, on rare occasions, relax with a deep tissue massage. Recently we met Waddington about what she values in art and life – and why.
Maren Karlson, Machines in the head (2022). Courtesy of the artist and Soft Opening.
What’s the last thing you splurged on?
I was very happy to acquire a wonderful little painting by German artist Maren Karlson from Soft Opening at Felix Art Fair in Los Angeles this year. His paintings are so beautiful but disturbing.
What are you saving for?
I usually save for my next art acquisition!
What would you buy if you found $100?
I would probably take a friend to lunch at La Mercerie, just around the corner from the new gallery.
What makes you feel like a million bucks?
A deep tissue massage. There’s nothing more revitalizing than an hour of uninterrupted happiness!
La Haberdashery at RW Guild, a favorite dining spot on Canal Street.
What do you think is your greatest asset?
A feeling of quasi-fearlessness in approaching the unknown or, as my colleagues say, my tenacity!
What do you appreciate most in a work of art?
It might sound weird, but corny – a real passion and devotion to the materials, the process, the hits and misses.
Who is an emerging artist worthy of everyone’s attention?
Blair Whiteford, whom I recently visited in his studio in Brooklyn. He is a classically trained painter with a remarkable ability to reduce time and space in his work. Blair blends his own paintings and draws inspiration from the Italian Renaissance, 19th century Romanticism and contemporary pop culture, creating otherworldly compositions that suggest universal themes of transformation and human desire. I would have liked to see his recent exhibition at the Pond Society Shanghai in person – the reviews were excellent.
Blair Whiteford, Drill scutchers (2022). Courtesy of the artist and Matthew Brown Gallery.
Who is an unknown artist who has not yet received his due?
Dorothea Rockburne – it’s a name most of us in the art world know, but she has yet to receive the mainstream or commercial recognition she deserves. A student at Black Mountain College alongside Albers and Rauschenberg, she developed a very unique visual language based on translating mathematical equations into their painterly or sculptural equivalents – and the works are beautiful.
What do you think is the most overrated thing in the art world?
Joe’s Stone Crab (sorry!)
What is your most valuable asset?
A delicate ivory intaglio ring handed down by my grandmother.
An installation view of Hayal Pozanti’s inaugural show at Timothy Taylor. Courtesy of Timothy Taylor, New York.
What was your best investment?
My partnership in the gallery with Tim.
What is something small that means the world to you?
A phonecall!
What’s not worth the hype?
The “white cube”. I find that buildings and galleries with a bit of historical character bring a human element to the space and help collectors imagine how they might actually live with art.
What do you think is a good cause?
Grassroots organization – anything that opens neighbors’ minds to different perspectives and new ideas.
What do you aspire to?
To be a wonderful wife, mother, friend and champion of artists.
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