A renowned art curator celebrating the first anniversary of his Mayfair gallery has said London is one of the most important places in the world for modern and contemporary art.
Jean-David Malat, a London-based art dealer and curator, said the capital is more significant in the art world than Paris thanks to its "international" and "avant-garde" approach.
Mr Malat has worked for clients such as Kate Moss, Bono, Madonna and Natalie Imbruglia and represents a broad spectrum of international artists.
The Paris-born curator, who has established more than a dozen formerly-known artists, has run seven successful solo exhibitions at JD Malat Gallery since it opened in June 2018.
Speaking to the Standard ahead of the June 6 anniversary, Mr Malat said his gallery has gone from strength to strength and said London has been the ideal location.
“London is better than Paris for the art world,” he said.
“It’s more international, maybe more avant-garde. I’ve been in the city for almost 18 years and I just love it.
“I would say this city is one of the most important places in the world for modern and contemporary art.
“The last year has been very good, we had seven exhibitions and three sold out. We are getting more international and doing art fairs, Mexico in February and Seattle in August.
“With this job you can’t stop, you always have a new exhibition or a new artist and you have to make it happen, there is a lot of demand so you need to be active and supply.”
To mark the one-year anniversary of JD Malat Gallery, Los Angeles-based artist Andy Moses will make his London debut with his solo exhibition Echoes of Light from June 21 to July 20.
Curated by Larry Bell, who Mr Malat regards as “one of America’s most renowned and influential artists”, the exhibition is set to feature a range of concave paintings.
Mr Malat said the artist’s distinctive style is “simultaneously abstract and representational”, with one stand-out piece being Rad 1502, a curved canvas painted with acrylic.
Speaking about his work, Mr Moses said: “My quest is to create the sensation of light that appears to be emanating from the surface of the painting rather than being reflected off of it.
“I am honoured to be working with JD Malat Gallery for my first solo show in London.”
Currently on show at the gallery is the Urban Scene exhibition, with Chinese artist Li Tianbing's politically-focused art on show.
Specifically, Mr Tianbing refers to the “foul and evil-foreboding air” felt in China upon recent visits, which he said is due to the booming economy increasing the gap between the rich and the poor.
“He’s really one of my favourite artists,” Mr Malat said of Mr Bing, whose work he has been collecting since 2005. “I am very excited to be working with him on this exhibition.
“The series is a bit different, mostly it is about what’s going on in the world, the events in Venezuela, Paris and in other countries. His work is completely full of emotion.”
The Urban Scene exhibition is running until June 15 in JD Malat Gallery, 30 Davies Street, Mayfair. Echoes of Light is running from June 21 to July 20.
