The notorious collector and dealer Adam Lindemann will shut the doors of Venus Over Manhattan, the gallery he founded in 2012, to return to building his personal art collection.
“I’ve seen it from both sides, and now it’s time to wave the white flag,” Lindemann wrote in an open letter published on Artnet. The gallery’s final show, Brooklyn-based artist Susumu Kamijo’s Fish & Flowers, opened at the 39 Great Jones Street space in June and will close 17 July.
In the letter, Lindemann describes many of his proudest moments at the gallery, notably counting 40 reviews and features in The New York Times. Venus Over Manhattan also gave solo shows to under-recognised artists like Maryan, the Polish Holocaust survivor who made his home at the Chelsea Hotel in New York.
But Lindemann describes the suffering of dealers as well: “Do you want to know the truth about fair committees?” he writes. “They gleefully ask you to get down on your hands and knees, wag your tail and beg for forgiveness. Then, callously, they waitlist you in permanentia.”
Having started as a collector who married his dealer—the Lévy Gorvy Dayan founder Amalia Dayan—Lindemann also says transitioning from one to the other resulted in “alienating both sides”, saying “dealers distrust you, and most collectors don’t get what you’re up to, so they turn up their noses in disapproval—or even worse, they resent you for switching sides”.
Lindemann makes no qualms about waving a white flag when it comes to selling art and returning to life as a collector; he writes that people should not expect him to pivot to art consulting or dealing privately.
“I’m going back to air kisses, handshakes, fist bumps, side hugs, head nods, winks, waves, big smiles, thumbs up and good vibes,” Lindemann writes as a kicker. “Can’t wait to see you at the next art fair!”
It has also been a wild ride for Lindemann outside of the white walls of his gallery and fair stands. In 2023, he was arrested for trespassing and harassment over an altercation with fellow dealer Max Levai, a former Marlborough Gallery scion. The two reportedly argued over issues related to their neighbouring Hamptons properties.
Lindemann joins Tim Blum, another longtime dealer who announced last week he would shut his Blum spaces, though Blum told The Art Newspaper in a statement that he would instead transition “away from the traditional gallery format toward a more flexible model”.
