The British art dealer, Anthony d’Offay, who was ‘me-tooed’ last year by three former colleagues, has been reinstated as an adviser to the Artist Room’s programme in the UK and Scotland. The dealer sold his iconic collection of 725 contemporary and modern works of art to the nation for a fraction of its value (£26.5m) Ten years ago he spearheaded the Artist Rooms programme, which travels around the UK exposing contemporary art to a younger generation of art-lovers.
We have not been informed of any formal police investigation and trustees have since resumed contact with him -Tate
d’Offay was sidelined by both galleries after allegations of sexual harassment and inappropriate behaviour came to light. The claims were never taken further. Mr d’Offay, 79, who denied the allegations, stepped down from his role as curator but as no charges have been brought has come back into the fold.
A spokesman for Tate and National Galleries of Scotland explained to the Times, “Over a year ago we were made aware of allegations against Anthony d’Offay. The trustees of Tate and National Galleries of Scotland took the appropriate time to consider these, remaining in discussion with the Artist Rooms Foundation. No formal investigation ensued, and trustees have since resumed contact with Mr d’Offay, and informed relevant stakeholders accordingly.”
“We have not been informed of any formal police investigation and trustees have since resumed contact with him,” Tate stated to the Art Newspaper.
Born in Sheffield to a French father, Anthony d’Offay was only 25 when he opened his first tiny gallery near Piccadilly. Within a year he had sold a drawing by Jean Cocteau to Paul McCartney, and he launched a new gallery near Bond Street in 1969. He helped revive the reputations of Wyndham Lewis and Stanley Spencer, and in the year his gallery closed it hosted exhibitions of Ron Mueck, Anselm Kiefer and Bill Viola. For 15 years he organised mostly historical exhibitions of early 20th-century British art including Abstract Art in England 1913-1915 (1969) which critically reassessed the importance of the Vorticist movement in the UK. In the 1970s, he started to show contemporary art, exhibiting Lucian Freud, Michael Andrews, Eduardo Paolozzi, Frank Auerbach and William Coldstream. The gallery in London made many distinguished exhibitions by some of the greatest artists of our time including Willem de Kooning, Carl Andre, Maurizio Cattelan, Lawrence Weiner, Jasper Johns, Ellsworth Kelly, Agnes Martin, Jeff Koons, Roy Lichtenstein, Gerhard Richter, Jannis Kounellis, Anselm Kiefer, Richard Long, Bruce Nauman, Gilbert & George, Richard Hamilton, Brice Marden, James Turrell, Rachel Whiteread, Sigmar Polke, Cy Twombly, Ron Mueck and Andy Warhol, who he commissioned to make the celebrated ‘Fright Wig’ Self Portraits.
ARTIST ROOMS is a touring collection of over 1,600 works of modern and contemporary art. The collection is displayed in museums and galleries across the UK through a programme of solo exhibitions that showcase the work of 40 major international artists.
Since 2009, 40 million people have visited more than 150 displays at over 75 museums and galleries. This touring programme gives young people the chance to get involved in creative projects, discover more about art and learn new skills.
Exhibitions are taking place throughout 2018 and 2019 in venues large and small, the length and breadth of the UK: from the Scottish city of Dundee to Southampton on the south coast of England.
Seven venues are participating in the programme for the first time in 2018 and this year’s displays include works by American photographer Diane Arbus, influential German artists Anselm Kiefer and Gerhard Richter, as well as the opportunity to see large-scale abstract paintings by Agnes Martin. Explore the 2018 programme below. Exhibitions will also open in Berwick-upon-Tweed, Doncaster, Dundee and Southport later in the year.
ARTIST ROOMS is jointly owned by the National Galleries of Scotland and Tate. The collection was established through The d’Offay Donation in 2008, with the assistance of the National Heritage Memorial Fund, Art Fund, and the Scottish and British.
Top Photo: Anthony d’Offay