Last night in New York, Artnet’s founder, Hans Neuendorf, received the Appraisers Association of America’s lifetime achievement award at its annual gala at the Rainbow Room, on the 65th floor of 30 Rockefeller Plaza.
The honor—presented before a crowd of more than 300 industry insiders—recognizes Neuendorf’s many contributions to the arts, which have included co-founding Art Cologne in 1967, when it was one of the first art fairs, with his friend and fellow dealer Rudolf Zwirner.
In 1989, Neuendorf launched artnet AG and its database of auction results in an effort to bring transparency to the pricing of art, which he felt was sorely lacking at galleries and the art fairs that were then cropping up around the world.
As part of last night’s sold-out event, Neuendorf was interviewed by former Artnet News editor-in-chief Andrew Goldstein, who in 2019 conducted a six-part interview with him about his remarkable career. Ahead of the ceremony, I caught up with Neuendorf to discuss his journey through the art world and its evolution over the decades.
Before Artnet began providing auction data online, Neuendorf delivered information via fax, he recalled, which drew complaints from some clients because it was “noisy and had no images.”
Asked about how he experimented with technology in the internet’s early days, he said that there was actually no experimentation. “We went straight to email” to give auction data to users, he said. Before then, “there was no price information, it was totally inefficient. That’s why I created the database.”
Neuendorf, who grew up in Hamburg, Germany, was not exposed to art as a child, though his interest was piqued by images he first saw in art books.
During his time as an art dealer, he was deeply involved with Abstract Expressionism and Pop art, and formed close friendships with artists like Richard Artschwager, Christo, and Cy Twombly (whom he visited at his castle and studio in Bolsena, Italy, in the early 1960s), buying their work when he could afford to do so.
Neuendorf also enjoyed close relationships with numerous dealers, including the legendary figures Ileana Sonnabend and Leo Castelli. He expressed admiration for Sonnabend’s eye and love of art, as well as the collection she amassed by acquiring at least one work from practically every artist she showed.
“I just saw life as an art dealer as very exciting,” Neuendorf said, while discussing the role that Sonnabend played in connecting numerous artists and dealers.
Neuendorf was frank when lamenting the state of the art market today. He sees too much emphasis placed on (often-inflated) prices when determining the importance of an artist’s work. He has trusted his eye and instincts when acquiring work. “I don’t mind if people don’t like what I collected,” he said.
There is more to come from Neuendorf. As he revealed during last night’s gala, he is finishing a memoir and has secured a German publisher. The as-yet-untitled book, set to be published next year, is sure to offer a behind-the-scenes look at the industry that he has helped lead into the future. Watch this space.
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