Photography by ORTUZAR PROJECTS

ALES ORTUZAR

Art Dealer

The Spanish-born, New York–based art dealer is the industry’s most reliable starmaker for artists who have been unjustly excluded from the canon, from Ernie Barnes to Suzanne Jackson.

WHEN YOU WERE LITTLE, WHAT WERE YOU KNOWN FOR? Believe it or not I was a bit of a rebel. I kept my parents up at night!

WHAT’S COMING UP FOR YOU IN 2025? Well-deserved museum shows for a few of our artists—Takako Yamaguchi at MOCA in Los Angeles and Suzanne Jackson at SFMOMA. We will also have some exciting new artists at the gallery, and a potential new second gallery location.

NAME AN INFLUENCE OF YOURS THAT MIGHT SURPRISE PEOPLE. Marian Goodman. She always brought a conviction to her program, irrespective of the market. Artists revere her because she was so supportive of the creative process. She built a gallery on her own terms.

“Believe it or not I was a bit of a rebel. I kept my parents up at night!”

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SEE MORE OF IN YOUR INDUSTRY? LESS OF? More risk-taking, from all parties—museums, galleries, artists, collectors. Less focus on trends and more focus on individual artists.

WHAT KEEPS YOU UP AT NIGHT? The environmental and political crises we find ourselves in.

WHO DO YOU CALL THE MOST? On any day, it’s either my mom or Suzanne Jackson.

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