The Estonian gallerist selling art to the stars in New York City

Estonian gallerist Margot Samel studied art history in Scotland, where she met her American husband. She later moved to New York, where she has now lived for over a decade.

Once in the States, Samel worked in various galleries, including five years at Grimm, a large gallery which also has premises in the Netherlands and London. “My job was to build up the New York gallery space.”

Carrie Bradshaw, the main character in the cult film Sex and the City, also lived in the Tribeca district. “I met Sarah Jessica Parker at an exhibition opening at the Grimm Gallery. I invited her to dinner and she came. She is exactly the same kind of person in real life as she is in the show,” Samel recalled.

Three years ago, Samel opened her own gallery in Tribeca. The Margot Samel Gallery has since become a touchstone for Estonian artists in the Big Apple.

“I mainly work with young contemporary artists. It’s important for me to introduce them to New York.”

Samel collaborates with Olga Temnikova, who runs the Temnikova & Kasela Gallery in Tallinn. “I met her 14 years ago at a fair in Basel,” Samel says.

Artist Kris Lemsalu has been active in New York and plenty of other places around the world for many years. In 2019 Lemsalu represented Estonia at the Venice Art Biennale.

“Margot and I have done two exhibitions together, and they have always gone very well. Margot is also my friend,” said Lemsalu.

“The care and love that goes into my work means it has to be cherished by someone who understands and doesn’t want to just rip me off at the first opportunity. Here in New York, it’s very difficult to get attention, because creative people from all over the world have gathered here. People come here with a dream, but the reality is that you have to pay very high rent here, and the cost of living is extremely high. It’s typical for that dream to slowly start to fade,” Lemsalu explained.

“The cafés and other service establishments are full of people who planned to become great writers, artists, or musicians.”

Samel agreed that it is really difficult to get attention in New York, pointing out that there are already more than 100 galleries in the Tribeca district alone.

“When I opened my gallery, there were 20 galleries here,” said Samel. “Rent is very expensive, but of course there are also a lot of art collectors in New York. One of the first works I sold when I moved to New York was to Leonardo DiCaprio.”

“The Tribeca neighborhood is full of celebrities. Taylor Swift lives two blocks away and owns almost an entire block of buildings. Sometimes a celebrity just walks into the gallery,” Samel laughed.

ERR, “Ringvaade”