Margo Leavin

Margo Leavin (1936–2021)[1] was an American art dealer. She was born in New York, but spent her career in Los Angeles. In 1970, she opened the Margo Leavin Gallery in West Hollywood, CA, which she operated until it closed in 2013.

Margo Leavin
Born(1936-04-18)April 18, 1936
DiedOctober 14, 2021(2021-10-14) (aged 85)
NationalityAmerican
Alma materUniversity of California, Los Angeles
Known forArt dealer, gallery owner

Career and reputation

Leavin was known for her wit, her relationships with her artists, and business savvy. The longevity of her career is a testament to these attributes.[2] The Gallery closed in 2013 but it promoted itself as specializing in contemporary photography, sculpture, paintings and drawings.[3]

Artist and art dealer Nicholas Wilder is quoted as saying about Leavin and her gallery, "She works very hard and it's run as a business. It's not a thing that's there for some lifestyle change or for a tax write-off or something. She's a very good dealer."[4]

The Margo Leavin Gallery was a contemporary art gallery in Los Angeles, California, United States. The gallery was opened in 1970 by Leavin at what was then the studio of designer Tony Duquette. Leavin later expanded to adjacent buildings along the block, including a former post office, which served as an exhibition space.[5] Wendy Brandow, who joined in 1976, became a partner in 1989.

While the gallery began with exhibitions of mostly editioned work, it grew to become renowned for its program of modern and contemporary art and its work with a wide variety of artists from emerging to established ones.[6]

The gallery closed in 2013,[5][6] after producing over 400 solo exhibitions. In 2015, it was announced that the Getty Research Institute would acquire the complete archives of the Margo Leavin Gallery.[7] The gallery property was sold in May 2016 to movie producer Megan Ellison, daughter of billionaire Larry Ellison, for $40 million.[8]

In June 2016, Leavin made a $20 million donation to the UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture to rebuild and expand its aging graduate art studio facilities in Culver City;[9] the complex was renamed the UCLA Margo Leavin Graduate Art Studios.

Exhibitions

The following is a partial list:

References
  1. Knight, Christopher (October 14, 2021). "Art dealer Margo Leavin, champion of L.A. and international talent, dies at 85". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  2. Ng, David (August 15, 2012). "Margo Leavin Closing". Los Angeles Times.
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on February 26, 2003. Retrieved December 6, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. Wagley, Catherine. "Margo Leavin Gallery Closing After 42 Years: How it Became One of LA's Best". No. August 17, 2012. Mathew Cooperstein. L.A. Weekly.
  5. Kelly, Scott (August 12, 2012). "Leavin Gallery to Close". Los Angeles Times.
  6. Ng, David (August 15, 2012). "Margo Leavin Closing". Los Angeles Times.
  7. Gelt, Jessica (August 9, 2015). "Margo Leavin Gallery Archives Acquired by Getty Research Institute". Los Angeles Times.
  8. David Pierson (June 1, 2016), Annapurna Pictures' Megan Ellison pays $40 million for five West Hollywood properties Los Angeles Times.
  9. Carolina A. Miranda (July 18, 2016), UCLA prepares to move forward with new graduate art studios funded by Margo Leavin Los Angeles Times.
  10. Alex Greenberger (March 25, 2021), Gary Simmons, Artist Focused on Erasure and Racist Stereotypes, Heads to Hauser & Wirth ARTnews.
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