One man's search for meaning

Tim Blum and the intersection of art and consciousness

Earlier this month, Tim Blum shocked the art world when he announced his decision to shutter his gallery in the middle of an expansion to New York less than a year after his former partner, Jeff Poe, stepped away. No one knows exactly what to make of it, but two general explanations have emerged.

Two competing narratives emerge

On the one hand are the doom-and-gloom thinkpieces about the reigning model of the commercial art business and the poor state of the market. Galleries are downsizing their staff. Auction lots are going to guarantors despite lower estimates. Dealers are offering larger discounts, and advisors, like Allan Schwartzman, are noticing that established collectors are slowing down. Some blame the U.S. political climate; others point to broader economic malaise.

The counter-narrative that emerged is that Blum had just burnt himself out. Time to move on, retire, open space for younger dealers to enter the scene. It’s a personal decision, the thinking goes, not an indication of anything in the wider industry.

Carrie Scott, who runs art consultancy Watch Seen, thinks the fears of a market collapse are overblown, and cautions us against being too quick to cling to panic. Hilde Helphenstein, of Jerry Gogosian fame, sees it as a warning sign that the art world is going the way of classical music.

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Something more subtle is at play

Both are interesting and valid reactions — a mix of confusion, curiosity, and cope — but in the middle of all the handwringing, Blum describes his thinking differently. In a candid interview with Judith Benhamou filmed shortly after his announcement, he revealed something more subtle, yet seismic, at play:

It became much more than all the things we’re talking about for me. It became much more about, “I have lost my core focus and path that I was originally on when I began this thing.” ... My body and brain and soul are calling out for a different experience. And I’m not alone in this …

A lot of the joy and the fun of it is gone, and I’m not using flowery hippie language by any measure. I need to operate in a different way …

Stepping into the void

The interview is a fascinating look at an art dealer at a crossroads. He doesn’t share much about his plans but makes it clear that the commercial art ecosystem, which he admits to having a significant role in creating, has killed his joy.