{"id":13857,"date":"2025-08-13T14:54:09","date_gmt":"2025-08-13T14:54:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/2025\/08\/13\/nicholas-olney-and-eric-gleason-on-rebranding-kasmin\/"},"modified":"2025-08-13T14:54:14","modified_gmt":"2025-08-13T14:54:14","slug":"nicholas-olney-and-eric-gleason-on-rebranding-kasmin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/2025\/08\/13\/nicholas-olney-and-eric-gleason-on-rebranding-kasmin\/","title":{"rendered":"Nicholas Olney and Eric Gleason On Rebranding Kasmin"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Nicholas Olney and Eric Gleason. Photo: Charlie Rubin.<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the middle of this fidgety summer\u2019s wave of gallery closure announcements<\/a>, one Chelsea gallery used this dramatic momentum to finalize and announce a long-brewing legacy plan and succession. While the change was folded into the headlines as just \u201canother gallery closure,\u201d New York\u2019s Kasmin Gallery revealed it would cease operations only to immediately reemerge as Olney Gleason, under the leadership of Nicholas Olney<\/a> and Eric Gleason<\/a>, who have led Kasmin as president and head of sales, respectively, since Paul Kasmin<\/a>\u2019s death in 2020.<\/p>\n

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Olney and Gleason saw in this particularly fragile juncture both the cracks the industry is revealing and the need for a shift to the next chapter\u2014one they now aim to shape so the gallery can better respond to the challenges posed by the current environment. \u201cWe do feel like we\u2019re in the midst of a reordering in the art world<\/a>, which we believe is, in the long run, a very positive shift,\u201d Olney told Observer a few days after the announcement. \u201cThere are great opportunities that come with this period of change and evolution, so it felt like the right move for both us and them.\u201d<\/p>\n

From a broader market perspective and in terms of timing, Olney and Gleason have been through a number of cycles, with a combined 50 years or so in the industry. \u201cWith that experience, we are able to recognize the wrong time and the right time to make a transition like this. We firmly believe this is the right time,\u201d Gleason asserted.<\/p>\n

Since Paul Kasmin passed away at the beginning of the pandemic, the planning and organization leading to this succession has been years in the making, always discussed and managed in close conversation with the estate. \u201cWhile we\u2019re sad that this chapter is coming to a close, I\u2019m grateful to Nick, Eric and the entire team for all they\u2019ve done to build an amazing organization alongside Paul, and for their dedication to honoring his legacy over the past five years,\u201d Paul Kasmin\u2019s daughter, Olivia Kasmin<\/a>, said in a statement. She\u2019s confident her father would be happy that the spirit of the gallery will continue under this new leadership.<\/p>\n

So, here we have another kind of case study: a legacy plan not previously established by a gallery\u2019s founder\u2014as Barbara Gladstone did<\/a>\u2014but that the leadership team had to figure out after his death so the gallery could survive his passing. This is clearly another pressing issue for the industry: as the legendary dealers who built the last chapters of the art market age, every gallery will have to face this question\u2014if they have the resources and structures to survive at a moment of economic pressure.<\/p>\n

For Olney and Gleason, the solution was to secure a strong team that shares their ambitions, while maintaining close relationships and trust with their artists. \u201cThere will be a lot of continuity, which we find a real business strength, especially in such a competitive environment,\u201d explained Olney. The emphasis on teamwork and collaboration\u2014both within the gallery and externally\u2014has been key. \u201cEverything we\u2019ve learned from taking that approach is now informing our next steps,\u201d added Gleason.<\/p>\n

Paul Kasmin was born in London in 1960 and grew up among a coterie of artists connected to the renowned gallery of his father, John Kasmin. When he opened his first gallery in Soho in 1989 (relocating to Chelsea in 1999), these historical and family ties to the art world allowed him to secure the estates of many notable 20th-century artists the gallery still represents, including recently rediscovered Surrealist women painters Leonor Fini<\/a> and Dorothea Tanning<\/a>, and contributing to the reappreciation of Lee Krasner<\/a>\u2019s work, whose estate they began representing in 2016. Last year, the gallery also added the estate of Jackson Pollock<\/a> to its roster. Kasmin has long represented other key figures of American art, including William N. Copley<\/a>, Stuart Davis<\/a> (since 2018) and James Rosenquist<\/a>, whose estate the gallery has represented in the U.S. since 2021.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, in the past five years, the gallery has added a strong group of younger talents, including rising names such as Theodora Allen<\/a>, vanessa german<\/a> and Diana Al-Hadid<\/a>. The aim now is to continue this vital intergenerational dialogue, the partners confirm. \u201cThe cross-generational dialogue that was fundamental to Kasmin is something Nick and I will continue to uphold, presenting exhibitions of 20th-century modern masters alongside shows of new work by our living artists,\u201d confirmed Gleason. \u201cSince Paul passed away, a significant number of contemporary artists have either joined the gallery or had their first show here. That evolution will absolutely continue.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since the news broke last week, the response has been overwhelmingly enthusiastic, Olney and Gleason confirmed. This was the result of groundwork laid well before, both on the collectors\u2019 and artists\u2019 sides. Even before Paul passed away, they were involved in those relationships, they said. \u201cThe enthusiasm we\u2019ve received over the last week from our diverse collector base\u2014which reflects the variety of our program\u2014has been incredibly positive,\u201d Olney observed. \u201cWe believe that momentum will carry forward, helping us continue to generate new audiences.\u201d<\/p>\n

The more recent strong focus on contemporary programs, bringing more emerging artists into the roster, has proven instrumental in broadening the collector base, according to Olney, allowing them to work across a wide range of price points. \u201cIt\u2019s great to be able to work at the highest price points with top collectors worldwide while also bringing works into newer collections and engaging emerging buyers. Our program spans post-emerging and early to mid-career artists, iconic living artists later in their careers, and estates\u2014covering the full arc of an artist\u2019s career. That range allows us to have meaningful dialogues with collectors at every stage of their collecting interests over time.\u201d<\/p>\n

The announcement was also well received by the majority of the gallery\u2019s artists, who welcomed the continuity of the team and the opportunity for a generational shift in leadership\u2014one better positioned to address the structural and market changes now reshaping the art world.<\/p>\n

Here, too, close relationships and trust were essential, with individual conversations held with each artist or estate in the days preceding the announcement. \u201cWe\u2019ve really focused on communicating in all of these conversations,\u201d said Gleason. \u201cWe believe so much of a gallery\u2019s identity and program is the assemblage of artists who are true partners.\u201d<\/p>\n

While this change in name and leadership prompted a review of priorities, the partners acknowledged this is not unique to them\u2014the entire industry has undergone self-scrutiny in recent years<\/a>. In this period of market recalibration, Olney and Gleason know the gallery\u2019s focus must return to the foundational aspects of the business, with some extracurriculars trimmed.<\/p>\n

The gallery will continue participating in both American and international fairs in Europe, Asia, and beyond, but the emphasis will be on the gallery program and supporting the growth of its artists. \u201cOur focus will remain firmly artist-centric and exhibition-centric,\u201d Gleason stated. \u201cI think the true measure of a gallery\u2019s success is the success of the artists it represents and the legacies it helps preserve. Our focus going forward\u2014something we\u2019ve refined over the past five years\u2014is to make the gallery the greenest possible pasture for artists to partner with, and for our team and staff to grow and advance their careers. If you create the best place for all stakeholders, good things naturally follow.\u201d<\/p>\n

More for art collectors<\/h3>\n

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\t\t\t\t\"Kasmin<\/p><\/div>\n