Max Teicher, Partner, Founder, established 291 Agency in 2021 following a 15-year career in the
art world. Throughout his 12 years at Gagosian, Max was critical in managing the smooth transition of new artists and estates to the gallery as well as working on the gallery’s global sales strategy. Maintaining a constant presence across art fairs and exhibitions, Max was invited to curate numerous exhibition spaces and worked with prominent scholars to help produce several academic publications and journals. Max established 291 Agency with a vision to work with leading Contemporary artists, establishing a range of tailor-made services to support and develop each artist’s unique creative output and market presence. Max has also been an active supporter of the National YoungArts Foundation for the past 10 years.

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Andrea Crane cultivated her depth of knowledge and understanding of the art world through 25 years in senior positions at premiere auction houses, and major galleries, before founding her eponymous art consulting firm in 2013. As an artist advisor and dealer, Andrea has placed significant artworks in both major private collections and important museums around the world. Artists range from Giacometti and Picasso to Pollock and Frankenthaler. As a director at Gagosian, she organized the groundbreaking exhibition Malevich and the American Legacy, which resulted in the Art Institute of Chicago’s most significant acquisition to date.Concurrent to founding Andrea Crane Fine Art, Andrea also began her advisory to painter Cecily Brown, one of the world’s most celebrated artists. This partnership is indicative of the deep importance Crane places on working directly with, and nurturing the legacies of, contemporary artists. Most recently she led an effort to establish a James Turrell installation, the first in Manhattan, at her high school alma mater, Friends Seminary School in Manhattan. Andrea’s commitments include her role as Co-Chair on the Board of Trustees of the Drawing Center and serving twenty years as a Board Member for the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture. Andrea holds a Master’s degree in Art History from the University of Chicago and annually sits on the steering committee for the New York County Lawyers Association Art Law Day. In 2021, Andrea was accepted as a member to the Art Dealers Association of America.

 

 

 

Valentina Castellani has extensive knowledge of the art world and market, developed through 25 years of experience in a variety of roles, including positions at Sotheby’s, Gagosian, and as an independent dealer. As a Deputy Director at Sotheby's in both London and New York for 5 years, Valentina was instrumental in shaping the first ‘20th Century Italian Sale’ auction as well as secure sales on behalf of significant private collections. Thereafter, Valentina served as Senior Director at Gagosian for 11 years, organizing and co-curating many of the gallery’s most acclaimed, blockbuster exhibitions, including several exhibitions on Pablo Picasso – working closely with the Picasso family – as well as retrospective exhibitions on Francis Bacon, Lucio Fontana, and Piero Manzoni. Piero Manzoni: A Retrospective (New York, 2009) won the Art Awards for the Best Exhibition of the Year in a commercial gallery and was listed by Artforum as one of 2009’s best art exhibitions. Besides her involvement in exhibitions, Valentina actively worked in the secondary market, sourcing important artworks from prestigious private collections; she has also acted as an artist liaison with living artists like Rudolf Stingel, Cindy Sherman and Francesco Clemente. In 2016, Valentina became an independent dealer, focusing her energy on the leading Post-War and Contemporary Art secondary markets. Since 2019, she has been teaching as an adjunct professor a course titled ‘Market Histories’ in the master of Visual Arts of NYU Steinhardt. She sits on the board of both Casa Italiana at NYU and the Drawing Center.

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Rysia Murphy brings years of experience in artist management having previously co-founded Arisohn + Murphy, a consulting and project management arts agency. Founded in 2015 alongside Jessy Arisohn, A+M focused on project management and strategy for artists, galleries, and organizations inside and outside the art world. Rysia led large-scale project management and public art installations for world-renowned artists, such as Urs Fischer and Carsten Holler, while also developing art programming for clients including Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Douglas Elliman. Prior to A+M, Rysia led Gagosian’s global art fair program and special projects during her 10-year tenure at the gallery. In 2021, Rysia helped Max launch 291 Agency leading and developing 291 Agency’s operations and business management.

 

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Jessy Arisohn brings years of experience in artist management having previously co-founded Arisohn + Murphy, a consulting and project management arts agency. Founded in 2015 alongside Rysia Murphy, A+M focused on project management and strategy for artists, galleries, and organizations inside and outside the art world. Prior to her own consulting company, Jessy worked at Gagosian for 10 years, where she oversaw the gallery’s exhibition program, managed artist-led real estate opportunities, and special projects. Jessy's experience includes working with global galleries and artists to grow opportunities with public art initiatives, art fairs, and museum projects. In 2021, Jessy helped Max launch 291 Agency, leading museum relations, artist relations, and strategy for the agency artists.

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Erika Weiss has over 15 years of experience within the international art market across New York and Berlin. Most recently, she held the position of Senior Director at 303 Gallery, New York where she worked closely with renowned global contemporary artists and led or facilitated public art projects, major solo exhibitions, large-scale museum acquisitions, and more. Erika was instrumental in executing complex, monumental artists projects with Desert X, the Public Art Fund, and for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s annual Roof Garden Commission, as well as other significant public and private commissions. As an art historian, her expertise spans from 4th Century Mosaics and Greek and Roman artifacts through to Arte Povera and 1960s conceptual art. Erika joins 291 Agency in 2023 as a Senior Agent, leading gallery relations, strategy, and development for a number of contemporary artists.

 

 

 

Rosie Tomkins is a multi-award winning filmmaker, producer and content strategist who brings more than 15 years of production experience to 291 Agency. Her portfolio spans long and short-form documentary, features and factual television, sponsored series, brand films, and audio content, working on subject matters ranging from hard news and current affairs to an extensive catalog profiling creative leaders across arts and culture. Rosie spent the last 6 years leading the double-Emmy winning digital video team at CNN International, developing additional expertise in short form content and the digital landscape. Prior to this, she produced, reported and presented globally for CNN, often interviewing artists and creative luminaries including Anish Kapoor, Valery Gergiev, Tracey Emin, Mark Ronson, Vivienne Westwood, John Malkovich, Dolly Parton, Venus Williams and many more. She also moderates and contributes internationally to panels in the arts, particularly in classical music. Rosie joined 291 Agency in 2022 as the Head of Film, TV & Audio, providing a space and network for artists to explore and expand their work into projects across film and audio.

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Anthony Gelfand has over seven years of comprehensive artist management experience through working closely with a range of prominent contemporary artists and artist estates. Before joining as an Agent at 291 Agency, Anthony was an Artist Liaison at Gagosian and David Zwirner. Specializing in exhibition strategy and management, he has guided all aspects of sales, loans, research, marketing, and artist support. Anthony has also spearheaded the successful execution of numerous public art projects, major museum exhibitions, and diverse special projects. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Savannah College of Art and Design.

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Cobi Krieger has worked with commercial, civic, and nonprofit arts organizations, researching and managing large-scale public projects. Formerly based in Los Angeles and Tel Aviv, Cobi holds an MA in Arts Management from the Sotheby’s Institute of Art, as well as a BA in both History of Art and Accounting from Tel Aviv University. Cobi’s work has been published and reviewed on Hyperallergic, Artnet, and Frieze, as well as numerous arts administration academic publications. Working as an arts administrator, researcher, and writer, Cobi helps coordinate artistic projects at 291 Agency. Prior to his studies, Cobi also served as an officer in the IDF's elite intelligence unit. 

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Emily White has 12 years of experience within the international art market working across New York, London, and Tel Aviv. Most recently, she worked at Gagosian with a focus on artist management, exhibitions, art fairs, and special projects. As an independent curator, she has organized group exhibitions, such as Élan Vital at MoCA Westport, and served on selection committees for programs, including gener8tor Art, a 12-week accelerator program for visual artists in Milwaukee. Emily holds an MA in Contemporary Art from Sotheby's Institute of Art in London, as well as a BA in History of Art from the University of Wisconsin. Since joining 291 Agency in 2021, Emily has been working with artists and studios to help execute exhibitions, public commissions and has overseen the launch of three enterprise businesses.

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Georgina Johnston-Watt has worked in editorial, production and research positions within the art and fashion industries across London and Paris. Her writing has been published internationally, including in ELLE magazine, where she wrote for fashion, celebrity, beauty and brand features. Recently, she assisted with research for a retrospective exhibition on the ground-breaking fashion photographer Frank Horvat in France, as well as the Noël Coward: Art and Style exhibition hosted at the Guildhall Art Gallery in London. Georgina holds an MA in History of Art from Courtauld Institute of Art and a BA in French language and literature from the University of Oxford. Georgina joins 291 Agency in 2023 as a Research and Project Associate.

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Camilla Artale has experience in administration and a background in communications, having attended Rutgers University. Previously working across other medium-sized businesses in New York, Camilla joined 291 Agency as its very first hire. Since then, Camilla’s role has expanded from supporting the office’s high-functioning executive team to working with Anne Verhallen across brand partnerships.

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Ellen Sweeney was the former Head of People at MeUndies and leads 291 Agency Human Resources and Recruiting. 

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Julia Itzler brings experience working as an Executive Assistant in New York City’s non-profit industry. With a BA from Bennington College, where she majored in Visual Art and Art History, Julia joins 291 Agency as the Executive Assistant to Max Teicher.