Lorna Tiller in Conversation with Marine Tanguy
MADE IN BED’s editor-in-chief, Lorna Tiller, interviews Marine Tanguy, founder and CEO of MTArt Agency, the first artist agency in the world.
Marine Tanguy. Source: MTArt Agency.
I had the honour of working with Marine Tanguy in October of 2017 through the Business of Art society at the Courtauld Institute of Art. Marine’s conference Investing in Artists discussed why it is necessary to invest in the artists of today and how one should do so. I was struck by the innovative nature of MTArt Agency and Marine herself. Inspired, I reached out and we conducted an interview in January 2018. Two years on I have reconnected with Marine to see how MTArt Agency is developing and discuss the current global climate and its impact upon the art world. Marine, yet again, further reveals her entrepreneurial flair and aptitude for transformation.
MTArt Agency is one of the most radical art platforms to have developed in the last decade. Founded in 2015, their motto ‘Don’t Invest in Art, Invest in Artists’ still stands true today. Focusing on developing artists by covering studio costs, selling works, implementing both cultural and commercial opportunities, and aiding with press exposure, MTArt Agency supports the individual behind the portfolio.
“On average, MTArt Artists have seen their works grow 150% in value year-on-year while signed to the agency, gain credibility in the industry and increase their exposure by 370%.”
How does MTArt Agency differ from other art business models we can see developing today?
I have been in the art world for eleven years. I managed my first gallery at twenty-one years old — The Outsiders — before being invited at twenty-three by investors to open a gallery in Los Angeles. Los Angeles is the home of talent agencies, but talent agencies for sport stars, musicians, actors, etc. It is this concept of backing talent and making sure your clients are successful that appealed to me. I want to be proactive on my artists’ behalf rather than wait behind a desk for collectors to come to me.
A few artist agencies have popped up over the past few years and whilst they have tried to mimic our model, they are still failing to match some of the fundamental strengths of our business.
MTArt focuses upon creating a supportive network for the artists in order to help develop their artistic practise and commercial success. We do this by financing our artists monthly by covering their studio costs and providing a range of resources behind them. Moreover, our revenue channels are different. We don’t just profit by taking a cut of the sale of our artists’ work, but we initiate a broad array of other commercial opportunities for our artists, such as our public art projects and our digital and brand collaborations. Ultimately, these revenues are what make us stand out against our competition and how our artists gain visibility faster.
In 2018 Marine told me “I have many hopes for the company and its legacy; I want to change the way we support artists and I want artists to be able to appeal for financial and promotional support more easily.” It is clear today that she has achieved this goal.
We now work out of four locations across the globe: London, Paris, Milan and, I am very excited to announce, the launch of our new office in Monaco this month! The selection committee reviews 200 portfolios a month and we are consistently collaborating with brands such as Aston Martin and Chloé, alongside establishing public art initiatives such as the Euston Town project. We have grown exponentially and I am excited about where MTArt Agency is going.
“Its selection committee chooses artists with innovative techniques, inspiring content and strong messaging.”
MADE IN BED’s Vienna Kim summarised the Art Basel x UBS Art Market 2020 Conversation. She highlighted that “Noah Horowitz remarked that this period is likely to see a lot of innovation and experimentation—perhaps even a restructuring of how the art market runs, though in what ways, precisely, are yet to be seen.” Has the global pandemic effected your business? Have you had to pivot in any way?
We haven’t had to pivot that much, we are extremely fortunate in that sense. We have still had public art initiatives launching during this period alongside online sales through our collectors club with Christie’s Education.
The main change is that the channels upon which we work have shifted online. Now all our conversations with clients and artists take place over the phone or on Zoom. However, the content of these calls has not changed. We are still pitching, collaborating and accelerating our business everyday.
In fact, the most innovative change I made with my team going into lockdown was that Louise Coussieu-Baylac, director of our Paris office, moved into my house! As an entrepreneur I am aware that my team and our effectiveness at working together is vital to sustaining MTArt Agency. This was an amazing decision, we were working together, day and night, to push our latest initiatives and our artists. Staying connected and positive made a huge difference to how things were handled.
In terms of the business we feel really fortunate. We were concerned that sales were not going to happen, but they still are. We have been surprisingly busy and there has been a demand for our public art ventures. It is interesting because people kept telling us they need these projects. It feels amazing that we are able to add value at such a difficult time for everyone.
We feel strong coming out of the crisis, financially, but it has also reinforced our core belief in what we were doing.
How has MTArt Agency reacted to the Black Lives Matter movement and larger issues of diversity in the art world?
Very sad. Sadness is the first feeling.
As a company, MTArt Agency has done a lot of work previously surrounding diversity and inclusion. As a certified B Corp® equal opportunities is at the core of our business and we aim to be transparent about what action we are taking. Our artists and teams have always been diverse. However there is always more that can be done.
We allow our Black and POC artists to speak for MTArt Agency. We promoted our artists and gave them a platform upon which they could use their own voice. We did not feel the need to talk on their behalf. It is better for these artists to talk, to explain, and for us to listen. We have an open application process that is assessed each month. This process has always been open to everyone because we have always wanted to give everyone the opportunity to enter the art world.
There is a lot more work that needs to be done in the art world. By no means am I saying we have the answer or we are perfect. I am acutely aware of my privileged position and MTArt Agency will continue to work incredibly hard to remain inclusive and promote diversity with in the art world.
The bigger conversation is about equalities; whether race, gender, sex, age, etc. The ‘art world' is still a sphere in which mostly the privileged enter. We all know this is the unfortunate truth. Reframing these questions and looking internally is the most important steps we can take right now.
“As current and future art world professionals, we believe that it is our responsibility to ensure that the art world becomes more inclusive and diverse on every level. It is our responsibility to recognise and dismantle the structures that perpetuate racial injustice. And for this to happen, we must actively become anti-racist. We would like to invite BIPOC members of the Art World to use our platform to raise awareness and shed light on BIPOC Art and BIPOC issues.”
One of the most exciting things about MTArt Agency is the innovative way in which you represent your artists. Your engagement with the artists as individuals helps your audience to connect with their work and MTArt Agency’s projects. Can you tell me a little more about this process?
I am a double drop-out student, two years of philosophy and two years of art history. Philosophy impacted me the most. I never did business or marketing studies. The way I have developed my business is instead around ideas and stories.
MTArt Agency has a philosophy about who we are, what we want the business to be and what we wanted it to do. This changes the way we look at artists. We want to build and share communities of people around our artists who share the same passion as us. Whether collectors, brands, publishers, etc., we all share the same motivation to tell stories about those that inspire us.
The narrative that you choose to tell through your platform is very important. It needs to be a narrative that you want to be heard. If we don’t believe in the story, the art, or the narrative, we won’t push it. We are authentic and this is what make our business effective in the long run.
Any last comments?
For us, there is a couple of things we are looking for and what we think will help refresh the art sector. People come to us with such traditional ideas and traditional art sector businesses. I encourage people to deconstruct the way things are working right now, even if we rebuild and revert to the conventional model, we need to understand why the art market is this way.
We are in a market that is so intensely traditional and MTArt Agency wants people that challenge the way that they think. People are struggling to adapt. The art world is struggling to adapt. Let’s change this!
“Use the crisis as a way to reflect and be as proactive as you can. ”