‘Time to Wave the White Flag’ for Adam Lindemann as He Closes Venus Over Manhattan

Collector-turned-dealer Adam Lindemann announced on Wednesday that he will be closing Venus Over Manhattan, the gallery he opened in New York City almost 14 years ago.

Lindemann explained his decision in a letter on Artnet, saying he started collecting as a ‘trophy hunting’ and to ‘play the art market’, citing the sale of works by Jeff Koons and Basquiat among the prizes that motivated his decision to open a gallery.

But his foray into the art trade saw him alienated from dealers and collectors alike. ‘Suddenly all the big hugs and air kisses evaporated,’ Lindemann said. ‘I was up against seasoned veterans with sharpened skills and razor-sharp elbows.’ 

The gallery originally opened on the third floor of 980 Madison Avenue, below Gagosian and near Michael Werner and White Cube.

Since then, it has earned some 40 New York Times reviews, and helped build the careers of artists like Jack Goldstein, Peter Saul, and Maurizio Cattelan.

Lindemann’s gallery also spotlighted outsider artists like Chicago painter Joseph Yoakum, who was later surveyed at MoMA, American landscape painter Richard Mayhew, and John Dogg, the pseudonym used by artist Richard Prince. 

‘I’ve seen it from both sides, and now it’s time to wave the white flag,’ Lindemann said, adding he ‘did not win’, but the gallery was ‘never about winning’. 

As with dealer Tim Blum, who announced the closure of BLUM just last week due to burnout, Lindemann will not pivot to consulting or private dealing. 

‘I’m going back to air kisses, handshakes, fist bumps, side hugs, head nods, winks, waves, big smiles, thumbs up, and good vibes,’ he said, noting you can catch him at the next fair.

The gallery’s last exhibition of Japanese artist Susumu Kamijo will be on view until 18 July. —[O]

Main image: Venus Over Manhattan at 39 Great Jones Street, New York. Courtesy Venus Over Manhattan.