Dealer Elizabeth Mulholland, who for the last two decades has served as director and then partner at New York’s Andrew Kreps Gallery, is heading west to serve as a senior director at megadealer David Zwirner’s Los Angeles outpost.
“I genuinely wish Liz the best,” Kreps told ARTnews. “It’s a big life decision, and I’m supportive. She made a huge contribution to the gallery and I’m forever grateful.”
Founded in 1993, Zwirner’s gallery empire expanded to Los Angeles in 2023, when he opened a 15,000-square-foot showroom in East Hollywood and a 30,000-square-foot Melrose Hill flagship, adding to its portfolio of galleries in New York, London, Paris, and Hong Kong. He joined Gagosian, Hauser & Wirth, and Pace with outposts in LA.
Asked to recall some of her proudest accomplishments at Kreps, Mulholland, in an email, said, “It’s difficult to single out just a few moments or milestones. Spending two decades with a gallery has given me a rare perspective on its evolution and the profound role it can play in shaping artists’ careers while establishing itself within the landscape and discourse of contemporary art. When I joined the gallery, the roster consisted of young artists at the beginning of their careers. Watching the gallery grow alongside them has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career. I’m grateful to Andrew for these two incredible decades.”
Mulholland is heading to a market whose sustainability has at times seemed in question. Just this year, Artnet News reported that “the Los Angeles gold rush is over,” with advisor Michael Thomas telling reporter Katya Kazakina that “local collectors can’t support all the galleries” and Gordon Veneklasen calling the collector community “disengaged.” After highly destructive wildfires last year, one local dealer headed into Frieze Los Angeles this past February told me that “the town is kind of on its ass in ways that worry even us locals,” partly because of job cuts in the entertainment industry.
But Mulholland is bullish.
“I’ve recently seen an upswing in the art market overall, and it feels as though some collectors are re-engaging with the market who might have taken a break,” she said. “At the same time, we may be losing some buyers who approached collecting as a form of short-term investment. While that could be perceived as a sign of disengagement, I believe it will ultimately strengthen the market in Los Angeles and elsewhere by reinforcing a more sustained commitment to collecting. And from my experience, Los Angeles is the home to serious collectors who are amassing incredible collections and are active in supporting locally.”
Mulholland is in for a big change, heading from a New York–only gallery with 10 or so employees and a roster of 41 artists to a globe-spanning operation representing some 86 artists.
“One of the reasons I’m so excited to be joining David Zwirner in September is that I’ve always recognized the humanity at the heart of the gallery,” said Mulholland. “While each location reflects its own community, they are united by a shared vision and a generosity of spirit that closely mirrors the way Andrew has always led his gallery. In my new role, I’ll continue to work with artists and collectors, and I’m looking forward to collaborating with the LA team: Alex Tuttle, Alex Marshall and Nick Gregory.”
She’ll also be living in a city whose contrasts with New York are the stuff of endless debate and argument.
“Living in New York for the past twenty years has been one of the defining experiences of my life,” said Mulholland. “My relationship with the city has been romantic, demanding, exhilarating, troubling, comforting, and undeniably beautiful. I’ll always love it, but I’m ready for a new experience and a new city!”
She went on, “One of the things that makes the Los Angeles art scene so special is how artist-driven it is. So many artists have stayed in the city after attending school there, creating a community with deep, long-standing relationships and an unusually collaborative spirit. It’s a place where artists genuinely support one another, and I’m excited to become part of that community. And, of course, the city is also home to incredible institutions: the Getty, MoCA, the Broad, and the Hammer, and I’m an absolute fan of the new LACMA building.”
