King of canvas

“The more people who look at great art, the better for our culture.”

Larry Gagosian seals billion-dollar deals with a subtle tilt of his head. His 18 galleries — spanning New York, London, Paris, Hong Kong, and beyond — rival major museums in sheer scale.

Nicknamed “Gogo,” he started peddling framed dollar posters, transforming that scrappy hustle into an empire that rules the contemporary art market. His razor-sharp instincts win loyalty from elite collectors like cosmetics titan Leonard Lauder and music mogul David Geffen.

In 2022, Gagosian nabbed Warhol’s Shot Sage Blue Marilyn for $195 million — the priciest 20th-century artwork ever sold, and a towering triumph.

At 80, the Armenian-American who gave Basquiat his West Coast debut dismisses retirement talk with a smirk. The art world’s cutthroat edge —what he calls its “blood sport”— fuels his relentless drive. For Gagosian, paintings are high-stakes chess moves, blending raw passion with calculated power. He hunts the next big acquisition tirelessly, viewing downtime as a luxury he can’t afford.

As he redefines the boundaries of art and commerce, Gagosian’s influence endures, his iron grip on the market shaping a dynamic, ever-shifting landscape that bends to his vision