Since the advent and recognition of the importance of art, galleries have served as a platform for multiple voices to communicate their stories and diverse cultures in a single moment. However, art's value differs in different countries, regardless of the importance of creative expression. While the western world is a well-known hub of art on the contrary the middle eastern and Asian worlds pose a challenge to gallerists and artists alike due to their lack of importance. We had the pleasure of speaking with Egor Altman, a gallerist who has made a significant contribution to Asian art.
Egor is a Russian-Israeli gallerist who founded Altman’s Gallery in 2015. Coming from a family of artists, he grew to be passionate about the world of art. He travelled to New York and admired the concept of first names in the galleries that hosted limited collections by popular artists. As a media manager who was an art enthusiast, he acknowledged the importance of introducing the contemporary art world to Russia with the concept of ‘First Names’.
The ‘First Names’ were inclusive of Andy Warhol, Egon Schielle, Edgar Degas, Henri Matisse, Jeff Koons, Marc Chagall, Takashi Murakami, Yayoi Kusama, Pablo Picasso and many others. Egor aimed to bring the popular contemporary art market to Russia to contribute to the growth of the art industry in the country.
“The art market is unfortunately tiny in Russia but the market in Israel is much bigger despite the country being so small,” said Egor, when asked how the art market differed in both countries. After having established a branch of his gallery in Israel, he noticed how the public treated the industry in both countries. He claims that art professionals in Russia are unaware of the global art market and its functions. As someone who gives lectures in many universities, he aimed to educate emerging Russian artists who he believes are far behind in terms of their art knowledge. Israeli art professionals on the other hand were well educated about the industry which he wishes should’ve been the case for a country as large as Russia. He also speaks about the lack of new ideas among artists since he feels that artists are merely working on similar themes and concepts and do not choose to go beyond conventional creative boundaries.
While the gallerist addresses the unfortunate problems surrounding the art market in the world, he also tries his best to contribute to the industry by educating artists, encouraging new ideas and establishing institutions to introduce the global art world to his native country and beyond.