5 Minutes With… Perrotin Gallerist Peggy Leboeuf

Walking around New York’s Lower East Side means strolling through one of the Big Apple’s most historic districts, as well as treading in the footsteps of workers and immigrants from around the globe, who have arrived over the past two centuries with few belongings and many hopes.

Orchard Street – whose name is the only remaining vestige of what was once a real orchard filled with cherry trees – is one of the main thoroughfares of this storied area, where cathedrals rise above the red brick façades of discount luggage and clothing stores, as well as upmarket boutiques, cafés and über-cool art galleries. It’s no coincidence, then, that one of these secular sanctuaries – the historic Beckenstein building – was chosen in 2017 as the NYC headquarters of contemporary art purveyors Perrotin.

Founded in Paris in 1990 by then-21-year-old Emmanuel Perrotin, Perrotin galleries are known for their curation of cutting-edge art exhibited at their spaces in Paris, Hong Kong, Seoul, Tokyo, Shanghai and, of course, New York, as well as at most of the major art fairs around the world. It’s here on Orchard Street, however, that you’re most likely to find Peggy Leboeuf, Perrotin’s Executive Director and Principal Partner – and a key figure in driving the gallery’s avant-garde curatorial vision. Here, we chat with Peggy about the unique challenges currently faced by the art world, while also picking her brain about virtual exhibitions, art in the age of the internet, and a few of her own private musings.

You are Principal Partner of one of the world’s most famous contemporary art galleries. How did your adventure begin?

As a kid, I first fell in love with Jean Tinguely’s work in a Centre Pompidou exhibition. It is strange to remember this today, as the remarkable Daniel Cordier, who worked with him, just passed away…Professionally speaking, I have been working with Emmanuel Perrotin since 1996, and it has been an incredibly formative experience. I met Emmanuel by chance in an internship I had below his gallery in Paris. I still remember when I first began as an intern – it was just a few of us working away in an apartment off Rue Beaubourg. We had to take so many chances in the very beginning.

[Photo: Guillaume Ziccarelli. Courtesy of Perrotin]

In 2000, I had my first business trip to New York for the gallery. Paula Copper invited us to a reception honouring Sophie Calle’s new exhibition, and that evening, I met Paula and Sophie. I was so shy… I will remember this moment forever — it changed my life! In 2001, I started to work with Sophie as an artist liaison. I learned so much from her. When Emmanuel asked me if I would consider overseeing projects in New York, I did not think twice. I knew that I needed to continue challenging myself. Almost a decade later, I am still in New York, now facing many new questions due to the COVID situation.

Yes, let’s talk about the elephant in the room: In what ways would you say the pandemic has impacted the art world, from the smallest galleries to world-renowned museums? What, in your opinion, will it take to recover?

Of course, COVID-19 had drastically affected every industry, including the art world. Our industry hinges on physical connection, traveLling, going to art fairs, etc… and this has been very limited in the past few months. We all have to try to move forward and adapt to a new normal. In Perrotin’s case, we are lucky in that our gallery has three floors, so we have space to welcome visitors while respecting social distancing guidelines (of course safety is our top priority). Even so, I miss the experience of opening events to celebrate our artists, having in-person conversations and making physical connections. I can’t wait for my next trip or my next art fair.

[Photo: Installation view of Otani Workshop: Narubekunaranare Narazarumonarubekenya Narareccho (Be if you can, even if you don’t have to be, let it be) at Perrotin New York, 2020. Photographer: Guillaume Ziccarelli. ©️2020 Otani Workshop/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Courtesy Perrotin]

Do you have any words of encouragement for gallerists of small, independent galleries during these tough times?

In these times, we have to try and stay united as an industry. For example, I am so happy that galleries around the Lower East Side have begun a monthly event (every third Thursday) called LES Gallery Evening, where we all stay open late to encourage socially distanced community building. In these times, our local communities have become even more important, and I hope to be able to continue to engage and work more with our art community in New York.

We certainly agree on the importance of supporting our local communities, especially since the world feels more decentralised now that much of our lives have moved online. What is your perspective on the state of art in the digital age?

The ascent of the digital has challenged the very foundations of the art world – and especially right now, when physical exhibitions and experiences are less accessible. It’s not that the digital has eclipsed the physical, but simply that everything has become faster. We are moving at light speed! In a way, it has provided unprecedented transparency in the art world, and in many ways, it is interesting to see the market challenged in this manner.

[Photo: Anatomy of a Flower, 2018 – 2020. 27 color photographs, 7 drawings, 3 oak wood blocks, 1 custom metal and plexiglass vitrine 74.3 x 218.4 x 165.1cm | 29 1/4 x 86 1/16 x 65 in. Photographer: Guillaume Ziccarelli. Courtesy of the artist and Perrotin.]

The internet and Instagram in particular have increased the visibility and popularity of artists. Recently, we launched two new digital initiatives, @perrotinstore and Viewing Salon, which both feature new projects and allow for new collaborations. For example, we presented an exhibition in our Viewing Salon with Yale’s Painting & Printmaking MFA class earlier this year – this project was a joy to organise.

However, we must not forget that the physical – seeing artwork and being in the presence of magic – is why we are all here in the first place. That will not change for a long time.

Would you say there are any advantages of a virtual viewing room over a physical one?

Our own initiatives – Perrotin Viewing Salon, @perrotinstore and digital programming on @galerieperrotin – have taught us the value in using our digital platforms as spaces for open dialogue and direct engagement, especially to reach a broader audience. Perrotin Viewing Salon has been in our pipeline for a while now, and I envision it as a long-term initiative for the gallery. It is both a fun and curated platform that offers our artists an opportunity to create more editorialised, extremely focused exhibitions. It’s my hope that our platform will allow deeper connection, especially within our local community.

[Photo: Installation View of Julio Le Parc: Color and Colors at Perrotin New York, 2020. Photographer: Guillaume Ziccarelli.© Julio Le Parc / ADAGP, Paris & ARS, New York 2020. Courtesy of the artist and Perrotin.]

For me, a virtual presentation should be simple and focus on the art, texts and the high-quality images. You can spend as long as you like with a work, close your browser, and come back to it later. Best of all, there’s no one there to interrupt you. However, despite all its positive qualities, digital will never replace that feeling of physical connection and experience of art in person, or quite convey the textural properties of certain pieces. This is why we put so much energy into our physical exhibitions.

Right now, we have three shows on view until 23 December in New York: Otani Workshop’s Narubekunaranare Narazarumonarubekenya Narareccho (Be if you can, even if you don’t have to be, let it be), Julio Le Parc’s Color and Colors, and Leslie Hewitt’s project space Anatomy of a Flower and Other Studio Experiments.

These three different experiences are completely unique: Otani Workshop’s exhibition is a sensational show with around 100 ceramic and bronze pieces arranged in a beautiful set-up; Leslie Hewitt’s project pushes the viewer conceptually, and very poetically asks us to reflect on the collection of the Carnegie Museum as well as the broader acts of looking and archiving; and the kinetic experience of Julio Le Parc’s historical show is so fresh, pop and joyful. Digital can’t compete, but rather complements the physical experience. Digital is a different way of seeing, engaging collectors and visitors in a dialogue about innovation and adaptation.

[Photo: Installation view of Otani Workshop: Narubekunaranare Narazarumonarubekenya Narareccho (Be if you can, even if you don’t have to be, let it be) at Perrotin New York, 2020. Photographer: Guillaume Ziccarelli. ©️2020 Otani Workshop/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Courtesy Perrotin]

Just for fun: If you could spend a day with any artist past or present, who would it be and why?

I would love for Marcel Duchamp to teach me how to play chess!

If you could own any artwork in the world, what would it be and why?

Sandro Botticelli’s Le Printemps, because of the beauty and level of detail in his artwork, which has greatly contributed to movements throughout art history, including today.

And finally, the big question: What is art?

I love this quote by Robert Filliou: “L’art est ce qui permet de rendre la vie plus intéressante que l’art.” (Art is what makes life more interesting than art).

[Photo at top: Installation View of Julio Le Parc: Color and Colors at Perrotin New York, 2020. Photographer: Guillaume Ziccarelli. © Julio Le Parc / ADAGP, Paris & ARS, New York 2020. Courtesy of the artist and Perrotin.]