Gladstone Gallery has announced a major acquisition in the art world, securing the United States representation of Peter Saul, the 91-year-old painter renowned for his provocative satirical works that have made him one of America's most enduring artistic provocateurs. Simultaneously, the gallery has appointed Anna Christina Furney, formerly a partner at Venus Over Manhattan, as its new director.
Saul's remarkable career spans more than seven decades and has been characterized by his steadfast refusal to conform to prevailing artistic trends. After training at the California School of Fine Arts and Washington University in St. Louis, he developed a distinctive style that combines comic absurdity with rigorous painterly technique. His works boldly and gleefully challenge pop culture, art history, and political life through violent, grotesque, and humorous imagery that has consistently defied easy categorization.
Despite his unconventional approach, major institutions have increasingly recognized Saul's significance in recent years. The New Museum mounted a comprehensive retrospective of his work in 2020, and his paintings have been exhibited at prestigious museums across Europe and the United States, including the Pompidou Centre in Paris, the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Whitney Museum of American Art. This institutional recognition has established Saul in the rare position of being both a cult hero and an institutional favorite, particularly remarkable for a nonagenarian artist who continues to actively create new work.
Furney brings extensive experience and long-standing connections to Saul to her new role at Gladstone. She represented the artist for 14 years at Venus Over Manhattan, where she initially served as a director before being promoted to full partner. During her tenure at Venus, she built a strong reputation for ambitious and innovative programming, organizing significant survey exhibitions for notable artists including Robert Colescott, Jim Nutt, Joseph Elmer Yoakum, and Yuichiro Ukai. Prior to her work at Venus, Furney gained valuable experience working with Simon and Michaela de Pury at the Phillips auction house.
Furney's transition to Gladstone occurs during a period of significant upheaval in the gallery world. Earlier this summer, Adam Lindemann, the collector-turned-dealer who founded Venus Over Manhattan in 2012, announced his decision to close the gallery and return to his role as a collector. This announcement followed a series of similar moves by other gallery owners, including Tim Blum's sudden decision to shutter his gallery and pursue an undisclosed non-traditional business model, and Clearing Gallery's Olivier Babin's announcement that he too was exiting the gallery business.
Venus Over Manhattan had established itself as a provocative force in the art world since its inception. While the gallery faced criticism due to its founder's dual role as both collector and dealer, it simultaneously earned praise for the exceptional quality of its exhibitions. The gallery played a crucial role in reviving interest in artists such as H.C. Westermann and Jack Goldstein, while also staging high-profile projects featuring works by Alexander Calder, Maurizio Cattelan, and Saul himself.
For Gladstone Gallery, which maintains operations in New York, Brussels, and Seoul, this double acquisition represents a strategic strengthening of both its artist roster and leadership team. The addition of an artist with significant institutional credibility and a director with proven curatorial expertise and market knowledge positions the gallery advantageously in the competitive art market. This move also exemplifies a broader trend in today's art market, where gallery closures lead to talent dispersion and larger, established players consolidate their power and influence. In this particular case, the result is the elevation of both Saul and Furney under the respected Gladstone Gallery brand, promising new opportunities for both the veteran artist and the experienced gallery professional.
