Meet Anat Ebgi | Art Dealer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Anat Ebgi and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Anat, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Taking risks has been the most important role in my life and career. I grew up in Miami and I knew I wanted to study art history in New York. Without the financial help of my parents, I moved to the cit on my birthday, Aug 29, 2001… 14 days before 9/11. I moved to a city that in an instant was totally shifted. I attended Eugene Lang, part of The New School for Social Research and studied “Arts in Context” — a framework of thinking about art that I still use in my approach today.

Living in NYC in the early 2000s was inspiring. I met so many artists. I had no less than 5 studio visits a week, I saw every show in museums and galleries, and curated shows in various galleries in the city. After a while I felt I needed to develop my writing and curatorial skills so I enrolled at the Center for Curatorial Studies (CCS), Bard college. However, after graduating in 2008, it was doomsday… the “great recession” and I moved to Los Angeles that same summer. I arrived with no job prospects—at all. But I knew I wanted to work with artists and I believed working in a museum was the way to do that.

Quickly I realized that the museum route was a dead end. Remember this was a moment defined by hiring freezes and many employees being let go. So I decided to open the gallery. My first space was a motel registration office in Chinatown Los Angeles… fall of ’08. I got a lot of press, but it was all “this girl is crazy to open a gallery right now.” Not very encouraging, but it was actually the best decision of my life. I knew I could survive. Almost 15 years later I have two locations in Los Angeles and I’m exploring other cities, hopefully somewhere even sunnier.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
I founded my gallery officially as a platform to promote the work of young artists based in LA. Since the early days, things have grown to encompass an international roster of emerging talents and I love to support distinct forms of production in an array of mediums.

We currently represent 28 artists, many have works that have been acquired by institutions including the Whitney Museum of American Art; Hammer Museum; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; The Art Institute of Chicago; Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; the Perez Art Museum Miami; and the Studio Museum in Harlem. And we participate in fairs including Art Basel Miami Beach; Art Basel Hong Kong; The Armory Show; Frieze Los Angeles; Freize New York; and Expo Chicago.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
My favorite place to visit is Huntington Gardens. My kids love to visit the galleries there, but we’re also big fans of the bonsai trees.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My husband Josh Rosenblatt! He encourages and supports me like no other. And is the best dad to our two kids.

Website: anatebgi.com

Instagram: @anatebgigallery