A Minute With Gallerist Sebastian Gladstone

Hi! This is a newsletter about artists I like.

I began acquiring art through some friends that worked in galleries. I started small, working on a limited budget, for stuff I could afford. As time passed, my collection grew, and it was exciting to watch many of the artists I'd collected go on to bigger shows and critical acclaim.

My goal with this newsletter is to make a digestible resource for anyone interested in artists that are making great (and still affordable!) work, whom you haven't heard about... yet.

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I first met Sebastian when I came across Stan Edmundson’s studio sale and was blown away at the artist’s work & studio. I’d been familiar with his work through Ryan Conder of SOUTH WILLARD exhibiting him but this felt a bit different with getting inside (instagram video) access to a larger body of work spanning decades. He was nice enough to let me get some things and we’ve remained in contact since. From an outsider’s perspective, it was really impressive to see someone put together shows from the get go ranging from Omari Douglas, Tristan Unrau, Devin Reynolds, and Timo Fahler. It’s no secret Sebastian continues to do great things with his gallery and the success is easy to see with a gallery expansion already underway.

Stan Edmundson exhibition from 2020

I think I read somewhere that you used to manage Jonas Wood’s studio, right? I think our first paths crossed when there was the studio sale of sorts from Stan Edmundson, where you were running his studio as well. My question is, did directly working with artists in that way give you an advantage to eventually opening up your own gallery? If so, how?

SG: I was Jonas Wood’s personal assistant for about year and a half, not studio manager but I learned a lot in that time about working in the art world. I was Stan Edmondson’s studio manager as well as his dealer for about a year. Both of those experiences gave me good steps towards opening a gallery. I worked with two other small galleries, Club Pro and East Hollywood Fine art, as well as a magazine called FOUNDATIONS (which was me and Marcella Zimmermann). I also have been putting on art shows since 2010. I don’t think that it was one thing more than anything else that gave me the experience of opening my current gallery, rather a sum of all the parts. Lastly, there are so many people who have helped and guided me on opening and running a gallery, having good mentors has probably been the most helpful thing of all. 

Omari Douglas exhibit @ Sebastian Gladstone

You’ve expanded, can you give us some info on when the new space will be ready and who will be the inaugural show?

SG: We will be opening at 5523 Santa Monica Blvd in a new 3000 sq foot gallery on October 1st with an exhibition of paintings by Samantha Rosenwald.

Can you send us some behind the scenes pics of progress?

SG: Yes below!

What artists are you particularly excited about? Any of which you will be showing soon?

SG: We have a show that has been in the works for about a year with the London-based artist Darya Diamond, her show opens September 17th. Darya is an installation-based artist who mainly uses print-making, recorded audio, and cast objects to create her exhibitions. It’s a very exciting show, and I am looking forward to seeing how it turns out. 

For those that aren’t in LA, what are some links/resources/etc. for people to use and have access to in order to gain more knowledge and confidence to learn bit more about the contemporary art scene?

SG: Art fairs are a good way to see a lot of whats going on in the international art scene, as well as instagram. Blogs such as Art Viewer and Contemporary Art Daily. 

Who should we have on next ? Could be a collector, artist, a fellow gallery, or just an interesting person?

SG: Arty Nelson, proprietor of One Trick Pony Gallery. 

What’s the last artwork you bought for yourself?

SG: I bought a fantastic Cynthia Talmadge sand painting from 56 Henry. 

Linkage Report:

• Interior Design firm Commune is opening up a shop in downtown LA next week with a lot of their frequent collaborators ranging from Cactus Store, Adam Pogue, and Dosa.

• Calder Gardens in Philadelphia looks nice!

• Our first art thing will be happening in New York the first weekend of October, no RSVP’s needed, just come. More info on that soon.