atrick Heide is a London based art dealer that represents an international range of both emerging and established artists, such as Alex Hamilton, Francesco Pessina and Thomas Kilpper. Heide has adopted an alternative approach to exhibiting in a gallery space by curating art projects in spaces that relate to the art itself. He executes an ever flexible approach to a wide variety of markets through his own exhibitions and collaborations, as well as utilizing the markets within the United States and several countries in Europe.

Patrick Heide represents Isabel Albrecht, Ina Geissler, Alex Hamilton, Károly Keserü, Thomas Kilpper, Hans Kotter, Dirk Krecker, Yuliya Lanina, Francesco Pessina, Nicola Rae and Varvara Shavrova through his permanent space in London.

Heide also provides a variety of consultancy services for the private collector ranging from first time buyers to corporate collections.

Isabel Albrecht o.T ( red series III ) 2006 Oil on aluminium 25 x 25 cm

Patrick Heide: I was born in August 1970. And my first job in the art industry was in ‘97.

Art Interview: When did you decide to become a professional art dealer?

Patrick Heide: I initially studied law, but I always had the idea to combine it with something from the art world. Originally the idea was to do something like art administration - art management. I was planning to get a master’s degree and go on with my law degree before working in the management field. When I was 24 I took a year course at Christie’s in art history, which also introduced me to the art market. Since I’ve gone more and more towards the commercial side of the business.

Art Interview: What motivated you to start your business?

Patrick Heide: I had always been doing my own shows on the side while being employed. After I studied at Christie’s, I did an internship at the Guggenheim Museum in Venice for half a year and ran their internship program for a few months. I was then at Sotheby’s for half a year and after that I started at a West-End gallery. Finally, I was working for an Internet company in the arts field. When that company, like so many in the Internet branch, didn’t get the funding, it was either, go back to a big gallery or try it myself. Since I had been always done shows on the side I thought, “You know, I’ll try it myself.”

Varvara Shavrova Landscape Fossilised 6+7 2003 Vitreous enamel painting fired on steel 55 x 55 cm

Patrick Heide: I started off with pretty small-scale shows selling on commission and slowly started taking on artists.

Art Interview: How long has your gallery existed?

Patrick Heide: My business was founded in 2004.

Art Interview: And was this your first gallery?

Patrick Heide: Yes, it was the first business that I have owned myself.

Art Interview: Are you the sole proprietor of Patrick Heide Art Projects, or do you have partners?

Dirk Krecker Palm 2003 Mechanical typewriter on paper 29.5 x 21 cm

Art Interview: How large is your space in London?

Patrick Heide: I just moved into a gallery space after having worked from a project space. It has 80 square meters of exhibition space plus storage. Obviously, I can still collaborate with other galleries and art consultants to create a team approach to projects. That works quite well because I get input from others who are also very informed and who have a different client base in the art world. These synergies allow for new perspectives and approaches.

Art Interview: I assume that when you are collaborating on projects you also split the expenses.

Patrick Heide: Yes, generally we do. The initial set-up costs can’t always be shared but we do split the expenses. I’ve also collaborated with other galleries where I’ve rented their space and depending on the agreement, have either paid an advance sum for the rent, or given them a percentage of the sales. There are a lot of different deals you can make.

Hans Kotter Blue Bags 2002 Light boxes sown from tarpaulin Variable

Patrick Heide: I normally work from 9-6, except when there are fairs or I am doing a show and have to work on the weekends and in the evenings. Obviously, if I show at 3 fairs in a row, I’m not going to start work on Monday at 9 o’clock in the morning.

Art Interview: Do you employ assistants to help you with the art fairs and the satellite projects?

Patrick Heide: Yes, I employ people on a project basis. For the new space I will need to have somebody there all of the time. I started with a small nucleus, where I planned all the activities of the satellite shows and projects in different locations. Then I started doing art fairs all over the world. One of the big problems when you start up a large gallery is that there are a lot of overhead costs that kill most galleries within the first 2 years. I was able to work on a much more flexible basis and not create constant overhead costs. Every project generated its own profits, which can then be invested in the next show. If a project is not profitable, you can choose to downscale the next one or source funds from elsewhere.

Art Interview: Who is your current target market?

Patrick Heide: My collector base has grown considerably. I started off with a target market of 30 to 40-year-old professionals interested in developing an art collection. I helped to start up their collection and consulted them on their first pieces. I accompanied them to a few to shows and generally helped to educate them about the art market. I think it’s fair to say that some of these people will develop into the serious collectors of the future. Once my business had grown I was able to regularly exhibit at the art fairs, where established art collectors, curators and museums took notice of my artists.

Art Interview: How did you initially meet your collectors?

Patrick Heide: I did a lot of networking, promotions and socializing. Obviously there was a lot of word of mouth involved. I organized special client events, drinks and dinners, private views and studio visits. A large part of my collector base now comes from the art fairs where you get a much more selected clientele.

Alex Hamilton Newspaper Drawing II Ink on paper 77 x 53 cm

Patrick Heide: Well, first of all, as a young gallery some of the art fairs you would like to do aren’t an option simply because you would not be accepted. There is a huge demand to be at certain big-name art fairs and as a very young gallery you have to do a lot of work promoting very good artists to get attention from the right people. To do this you have to start off with the smaller art fairs. You have to decide which countries you want to exhibit in, which also depends on where your artists come from.

One consideration is if artists already have histories of being collected in a country; if they have not, you have to approach it in a different manner. You also look at what kind of clientele a fair would bring. It was important for me to reach the thirty to forty-year-old target market so I did young, less established art fairs like scope, who started off showing in hotels and now are showing are doing booth fairs in a more established surrounding. 50% of the artists I represent are German, so I have done a lot of fairs in the United States, because American collectors are quite interested in German art. I exhibit at the German fairs because I have an established network there and I speak the language. Cologne is a core market place in Germany and it is interesting for me because I look after a lot of German artists must retain good connections there. I’ve also done art fairs in Italy, because I also speak Italian. I have a few Italian connections, some clients there and one Italian sculptor, Francesco Pessina, in the program.

After doing the younger fairs, you can approach the higher end of the market. I did Art Forum Berlin for the first time last year and I did Arte Fiera in Bologna this year which are both well respected fairs.

The globe on line Francesco Pessina London

Patrick Heide: Yes, you could say that. My initial projects were mainly in London and Germany, with a couple exhibitions in Italy relating to the Italian artist, Francesco Pessina, which I represent. I sell him internationally but it also makes sense to show him in his own country. One of the exhibitions we had was at a private villa in Tuscany, which was perfectly suited for the sculptures he exhibited.

Art Interview: Were you doing these projects before you started going to art fairs?

Patrick Heide: Yes, I did them both during and before. Even now, that I have a permanent space, I will still want to continue doing projects because they give you very different possibilities. As I mentioned before, you can be much more flexible, you are free to collaborate and find the best spaces available. It’s not nearly as restricting as a fixed gallery setting, and it is a lot more fun.

Art Interview: Where are your current largest markets?

Patrick Heide: In regards to my own market I would say 40% of my market is in Germany, 30% is in the United Kingdom; 20% is in United States and the remainder is split between Italy, Spain and France, where I have a few clients.

Art Interview: Your largest market is in Germany. I know you have exhibited in Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich and Cologne, which city tends to draw more clients?

Lichtecht Hans Kotter Frankfurt

Cologne also has a very active art market, which is why I am pushing to get into the art fairs there. When you exhibit at art fairs you become much more identifiable in the market.

The art fair Art Forum Berlin was very successful: there 80% of the works sold were purchased by Berlin clients. That goes completely against the saying that you can never sell to Berliners in Berlin but it seems the fair attracts a different clientele now. It is also perhaps an indication of the potential that Berlin has.

Art Interview: I have the feeling the art market in Berlin is definitely growing.

Patrick Heide: Yes, it’s always been considered a creative hot spot and the galleries do go where the artists are. Berlin attracts a lot of artists due to its relatively cheap living costs and the beauty of the city itself.

Art Interview: One of the disadvantages of the Berlin art market is the cities affluence is much older, as opposed to Frankfurt where you have the banking industry.

Patrick Heide: Yes, in Berlin you have predominantly “old money”, although this does appear to be slowly changing. In Frankfurt you have the financial sector, as well as a larger job market in general. Frankfurt works for my formula of the young collectors aged 30 to 40. It is a trade city; in this sense Frankfurt is superior to Berlin.

Art Interview: Now, are you working in cooperation with any museums?

Thomas Kilpper Pigisback We will nuke the earth 2006 Drawing on digital ink jet print 110 x 140 cm Edition of 4 AP

Like a museum it has a regular exhibition program.

The show opened in London on the same night that I was promoting it and my other artists at Art Forum in Berlin.

Art Interview: I believe Kilpper’s work is among the permanent collection of the Modern Museum of Frankfurt?

Patrick Heide: Yes, there is a piece in their collection and the Trustees of Tate Modern in London made a much bigger purchase in 2001.

Art Interview: How do you select the artists that you represent?

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This oral history transcript is the result of a digitally recorded interview with Patrick Heide on October 18, 2006. The interview took place over the telephone between Berlin, Germany, and London, England and was conducted by Brendan Davis for Art Interview Online Magazine.