Meet Kaylee Hennessey | Founder & Director of Abigail Ogilvy Gallery Los Angeles

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

Hi Kaylee, what makes you happy? Why?
It’s always the people. I feel lucky enough to be in a field that encourages genuine connection. As a curator, working with an artist, a collector, or any other collaborator often means something much more personal – you know their story inside and out, you connect with them as people because it makes you happy to bring their vision to life through visual conversations and the ability to retell their perspective with passion. Because of this, the artists I have the privilege of working with all feel like close friends – when I have happy news, they’re the first to know. Our artists each have something important to say, and it’s a privilege to be trusted with relaying those messages.

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
I went to art school not knowing exactly what I wanted to do, but knowing that I wanted to be in a creative field. Disheartened by my (lack of) painting skills I went into Art History at a school where the department was mostly a supplement for fine artists and design based creatives, but being surrounded by artists was what really inspired my pursuit of curation as an artistic medium. I was a bit of an overachiever and felt the need to engage with as many extracurriculars as possible during my time at MassArt, leading me to an internship with Abigail Ogilvy Gallery during my junior year of college. After realizing how much I loved curatorial practices, I applied to graduate schools in California and had committed to the San Francisco Art Institute for the Fall of 2020 to begin a Masters in Museum Practices. In the meantime, I was working at a museum in Boston and learning actively that I had a preference for galleries and the relationships they allowed.

In the wake of graduating college, my roommate at the time, Abby Ouellette, and I schemed to keep art the forefront of our lives while working our intermediate office jobs. We founded House of Venus, an underground, pop-up exhibition space for one-night-only exhibitions (parties) in our small one bed apartment in Fenway. We would place calls for art based on themes (middle school nostalgia; the limbo of being in between life moments; one was just titled “Cloudland” and up for interpretation; our final exhibition was a FUNeral), move all the furniture around, buy cheap boxes of wine, and pack our apartment with friends from at school whose work adorned every wall of our home. House of Venus was a creative avenue that taught me a lot about collaboration and making something out of whatever resources are at your disposal, and I have to give a shoutout to Abby for being the best co curator at a very pivotal time in my career.

When the pandemic hit, I lost my job, SFAI shut down permanently (or so we thought, but either way I was booted) all in the course of a week. I had to pivot quickly, and after working with Abigail part time for two years, I joined the team in Boston as the Assistant Director and found a renewed love for gallery work.

I’ve now been with the gallery full time for four years, and in that time have built so many relationships with artists, collectors, curators, and other art world professionals. I’ve learned a new level of patience and appreciation for the work of others and feel confident and truly fulfilled with the creativity of this career.

In 2022, I approached Abigail with the idea for a Los Angeles location. We did extensive research, meeting with Los Angeles gallerists, keeping an eye on the market, flying back and forth in secret to meet with realtors, and finally decided to make the jump in 2023. I moved in June, and Abigail Ogilvy Gallery Los Angeles opened in September with a program that spotlit guest curators from all backgrounds – gallerists, institutional curators, artists, arts writers, and even collectors. We aim to provide creatives the space and the resources to bring their visions to life.

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 running gag is to bring visitors to the La Brea Tar Pits. If anything, there’s a nice grassy park and some fun history there, but I also just love doing it for the bit. More seriously, there is a very easy hike that starts at the Hermon Park Tennis Courts near Highland Park that give 360 degree views of LA, with a turtle pond at the top. It’s always a favorite!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Abigail Ogilvy founded this gallery in 2015 in Boston, Massachusetts. It’s rare to feel so championed and uplifted by the person you work for, but Abigail has always approached her artists and employees with so much care and understanding that she has built a network of incredible people that truly enjoy working together. From my days as an intern, Abigail has always made sure to set me up for success. This venture would not have been possible without her guidance, mentorship, and trust in me.

Website: abigailogilvy.com

Instagram: @abigailogilvy

Image Credits
Thumbnail credit: Reva Santo