Introduction to Gilles Dyan. 2:44 min. Interview: Raymond Elman. Post-Production: Lee Skye. Recorded via ZOOM 11/29/2024. Design District, Miami.
GILLES DYAN (b.1960) is the founder and chairman of the Opera Gallery Group, a modern and contemporary art gallery with 14 exhibition spaces worldwide, including one in the Design District in Miami. Growing up in Paris, Dyan began his career in the arts selling prints before opening the first Opera Gallery in Singapore in 1994, followed shortly thereafter by another on Rue Saint-Honoré, in Paris, France. Opera Gallery offers works by modern, post-war, and contemporary masters like Marc Chagall and Pablo Picasso, in addition to representing artists like Ron Arad, Manolo Valdés, Pieter Obels and Anselm Reyle. Dyan, who has been at the helm of Opera Gallery for over 30 years, has seen the art world at large go through many changes and has gained his fair share of wisdom and insights along the way.
The videos below were recorded via Zoom, are organized by Success Factor, and run between 15 seconds and 3 minutes. Click on any video. You must be connected to the Internet to view the videos.
EXPOSURE TO BROAD INFLUENCES: 0:54 sec.
Where did you grow up, and what was your first awareness of art of any discipline?
INSIGHT & INSPIRATION: 0:34 sec.
Do you carry work by Joan Miró?
RESILIENCE: 0:31 sec.
Owning galleries all over the world, where do you live most of the time?
VALUES FIRST-RATE EDUCATION: 1:39 min.
Where did you go to school, and how did your early exposure to fine art evolve into a passion and career?
UNDERSTANDS THE BUSINESS OF ART: 1:00 min.
I have had a life-long career as an artist, and have engaged with many different types of gallerists, most of whom are not financially successful. What’s your secret?
SEIZES OPPORTUNITIES: 1:41 min.
Why did you open your first gallery in Singapore?
CREATES A UNIQUE PERSONAL BRAND: 2:07 min.
How did your concept of exhibiting works by significant established artists alongside of young up-and-coming artists evolve?
COLLABORATION: 0:31 sec.
When you opened Opera Gallery in the Design District in 2016, did you work with Craig Robins, the creator of the Design District?
CRITICAL THINKING: 0:46 sec.
What’s your process for bringing in new artists?
CREATIVE FLEXIBILITY: 1:32 min.
How have your patrons responded to your approach of mixing iconic artists with young fresh artists?
UNDERSTANDS THE BUSINESS OF ART: 2:36 min
How is the Miami art audience different from all of your other Opera Gallery locations?
CREATIVE FLEXIBILITY: 0:42 sec.
How does the age and maturity of an artist affect your approach to working with them?
UNDERSTANDS THE BUSINESS OF ART: 2:07 min.
What are some of the biggest challenges you face today?
COMMUNITY VALUES: 0:15 sec.
If you could only use one or two words to describe the benefits of collaborating with the Opera Gallery, what would they be?
UNDERSTANDS THE AUDIENCE’S PERSPECTIVE: 0:41 sec.
How do your clients’ tastes in art vary from country to country? Or does great art have universal appeal?
