Maureen Paley (born 1953[1]) is the American owner of a contemporary art gallery in Bethnal Green, London, where she lives. It was founded in 1984, called Interim Art during the 1990s, and renamed Maureen Paley in 2004. She exhibited Young British Artists at an early stage.[2] Artists represented include Turner Prize winners Lawrence Abu Hamdan, Gillian Wearing and Wolfgang Tillmans. One thing in common with many of the artists represented is their interest in addressing social issues.[3]
The gallery is located at 60 Three Colts Lane.[4] Maureen Paley opened a space in Hove called Morena di Luna in 2017 [5] and in 2021 opened Studio M at Rochelle School in Shoreditch.[6]
Early life and education
[edit]Cover of Summer 1973 edition of Sarah Lawrence Magazine with artwork by Paley
She was called by Time Out "a true pioneer of the East End", having presented work there before it was fashionable.[12][13] For almost a decade, the gallery was supported by Arts Council grants and other patronage.[14]
In September 1999, the gallery moved to Herald Street in Bethnal Green,[15] occupying "a chic new industrial space."[11] Paley's base in the area was a precedent for leading galleries such as White Cube and Victoria Miro to also locate in the East End."[11]
In 2000, Paley staged The Agony and the Ecstasy, the first show of Rebecca Warren, who she met after Paley had given a talk at her art school.[16]
She said in 2001, "Being a tastemaker—someone who invents the future—requires a delicate balance. You need to be of your time—if you're too far ahead you'll be misunderstood."[11]
In 2004, the gallery's name was changed from Interim Art to Maureen Paley. In 2006, when asked why many women have been successful in contemporary art dealing, Paley said,
Art is one of the last unregulated markets. There are no male gatekeepers and you are not confined to traditional alpha-male values. That makes it very attractive to a certain type of woman with a strong personality, who wouldn't fit into a cookie-cutter working environment [...].[17]
Paley was one of the judges of New Sensations, a competition for art students promoted by Channel 4 and the Saatchi Gallery.[18] Jo Craven said in The Daily Telegraph that Paley was one of only five female gallery owners of note in London.[19]
In August 2009, reflecting on the legacy of the YBA art scene, Paley said, "The thing that came out of the YBA generation was boldness, a belief that you can do anything."[20]
In 2010, Paley was one of a group of art dealers including Sadie Coles who made up the selection committee for the Frieze Art Fair.[22] The gallery also takes part in Condo, an exhibition series where host galleries collaborate and share their spaces with visiting galleries.[3]
Paley was interviewed for the Art Agency, Partners podcast In Other Words[23] in 2020 and an episode of Talk Art[24] in 2022. In 2023, she was invited to deliver the 15th annual Dasha Shenkman Lecture in Contemporary Art at the University of Guelph, Canada.[25]
The Evening Standard included Paley in London's 50 most influential people in art and design in 2008 and 2009.[31][32]
In 2009, Paley was placed at 87 (from 70 the previous year) in ArtReview's art world Power 100 list;[33] the citation drew attention to the presence of gallery artists at major events, such as Rebecca Warren at the Serpentine Gallery and Wolfgang Tillmans at the Venice Biennale.
In 2022, the gallery was listed as one of the '15 best art galleries in London.'[34]
^ abSleeman, Elizabeth (ed.) The International Who's Who of Women (London and New York: Routledge, 2002), p. 431. Entry on Paley available as snippet view here
^ abRenton, Andrew. "Museum wannabes", Evening Standard: London, p47, 23 April 2002. "In her Hackney living room, Maureen Paley showed the Young British Artists when they were even Younger"
^Paley, Maureen (ed.) On: Henry Bond, Angela Bulloch, Liam Gillick, Graham Gussin, Markus Hansen (London and Plymouth: Interim Art/Plymouth Arts Centre, 1992), no ISBN but details online here