Pace Gallery may have gained a new young artist in the form of Bosco Sodi, who recently joined its roster, but it’s also lost a high-profile director. Nicola Vassell, Pace’s director of a year and a half who joined the gallery after leading Deitch Projects, has left her post, the gallery confirmed to IN THE AIR.
Vassell joined Pace as it was ramping up its contemporary program after splitting with classic art purveyor Wildenstein. She made her name as director of Deitch Projects, where she worked closely with artists like Kehinde Wiley and Tauba Auerbach. (As a sometimes-model, she was also featured in an ad for Cole Haan and her wardrobe was the subject of a fawning profile in Vogue.) When founder Jeffrey Deitch left to become director of LA MOCA in 2010, dissolving his gallery, Vassell landed at Pace.
It’s unclear as of yet where Vassell (not to mention Pace’s contemporary program) is headed now. When she took the director job, Vassell told ARTINFO that she had initially considered launching her own new venture, like fellow Deitch alumna Kathy Grayson, but decided to work for Pace both because of the uncertain economic climate and because she felt she needed more time to learn. Perhaps now she’s ready to strike out on her own.
Update, 2:20p.m.: Pace’s Andrea Glimcher had the following comment on the split, which suggests that Vassell may have been encouraged to leave her post rather than departing of her own accord. “Nicola Vassell neither directed nor created Pace’s contemporary program and she did not play an integral role in the gallery’s work with young artists. For a variety of reasons, it became impossible for Pace to continue to employ her. It’s best for all that she is pursuing her own projects.”
— Julia Halperin
Tags: Nicola Vassell, Pace Gallery
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bosco sodi is a douchebag and his works is lame. good for pace for liking lame and douchey artists.
Yeah, Sodi might be great if you’re a 50 something rich housewife.
Obviously what happened here is that Pace decided they wanted some of the cool contemporary action so they snapped up a former director of pseudo hip Deitch thinking they could buy some cool factor. But obviously Pace is still so stodgy that the two worlds collided and Andrea Glimcher is a spiteful brat for spouting out such an obnoxious statement. But I’d bet that Nicola wants to take no credit for Pace’s boring lineup anyway so she probably actually appreciates you clarifying that for her Andrea.
Pace’s loss is the art world’s gain. Nicola’s innovative curatorial vision will best thrive outside the confines of a gallery whose pathetic response through spokeswoman (?) Andrea Glimcher resounds as a new low from a once venerable gallery.
Notwithstanding Andrea Glimcher’s unfortunate remarks, the art world looks forward to Nicola’s continued outstanding contribution to contemporary/modern art.