NOTA BENE: This Week in the Art World

Nate and Benjamin recap their trip to Los Angeles for Felix; all the parties, all the dinners, all the fucking pod-casts and of course Hunter Biden. All that and more on this week's edition of NOTA BENE the ONLY art world podcast. 

Wrapping up our Felix coverage here in LA we are joined by the fascinating and fun Fernando Mesta, founder of the Mexico City and Los Angeles based gallery House of Gaga. Fernando is both fun as F and a serious intellect who is committed to his artists and providing them with an innovative platform for their practices. Check it out!

We are joined by the proprietor of Los Angeles gallery Chateâu Shatto, the brilliant Olivia Barttett to discuss her founding of the gallery, how she got started in the Australian Art Scene and what she sees for the future of the art scene in Los Angeles. 

A big NOTA BENE exclusive—we have a very special chat with Hunter Biden, the eldest son of the leader of the free world, who has become one of the world's most famous artists months before the opening of his first solo show. In a candid interview, Hunter talks about how he got first bit by the art bug at the National Gallery, his love for the work of Mark Bradford and David Hockney, how his dad is the first person to see new paintings, and addresses for the first time the prices for his work and the wacko conspiracy theories surrounding who's buying them. Above all else, Hunter opens up about his passion for making art, and empathizes with anyone who's ever had to struggle to become a successful artist.

The legendary proprietors of stalwart LA (and Tokyo, and New York) gallery Blum and Poe join the boys to discuss their history with hotel art fairs. While this week's Felix is their first one in a long time it certainly isn't their first. They go on to discuss where the art market and gallery is now in a post covid world and what changes might be wrought. You won't want to miss this episode with these two absolute heroes.

Nate and Benjamin sit down with art advisor to the stars Meredith Darrow to talk about art and life in Los Angeles, what it's like working with Kendall Jenner on her art collection, and what she might be looking to acquire for client's at Felix this week. 

We are joined by Rick Garzon, the founder of Inglewood's  Residency Art Gallery's. Rick is an amazing gallerists and curator with a deep commitment to the act of community building. An Inglewood native Rick returned there after a career in advertising and opened his gallery in 2016. Rick shares his story and his passion for catering to and developing new local audiences for contemporary art. 

Nate and Benjamin are taking over a suite in the Hollywood Roosevelt and teaming up with the Felix Art Fair to whip up a slew of quick-hit special edition pods with some legends of the LA art scene. First up are Mills Morán and Dean Valentine, co-founders of Felix, who swing by the suite to talk about  the decision to go ahead with LA's first in-person fair in 18 months, why this is a breakthrough moment for local galleries, how sick it is to have a legit bank sponsor, and whether or not the new Nancy Silverton joint in the Roosevelt is any good. 

Nate and Benjamin meet up for a special summertime in-person live (to tape) intro. They cover their epic Hamptons meet-up and art odyssey; the recent departures of Noah Horowitz and Rebecca Ann Seigel from (respectively) ArtBasel and Frieze; The galleries that are skipping Basel Basel and those participating for the first time and well as this Fucking Dick. They are then joined by gallery owner, restauranteur and visionary mad-man Max Levai to discuss his amazing new project in Montauk, The Ranch. Max is special and so is this project, don't miss this special behind the scenes description of how it all happened and what the future holds.

Harper Levine is one of the most special people in the art world. Beginning as a rare book dealer in Minneapolis Minnesota in 1997 he has recently become known for his ability to truffle hunt for emerging and overlooked talent in the visual arts and has given several artists that are now market darlings their first gallery shows. He now has three spaces, his East Hampton flagship as well as "Harper's Apartment" on the Upper East Side and a space in Chelsea with plans to open in Los Angeles later this year and a second Chelsea space in 2022. In this wide-ranging interview we talk about his beginnings in the book trade, his move to the Hamptons, his turn towards visual art, how is friend Richard Prince is the most important book collector ever (!), his rapid expansion and much much more. Harper has a generous and wide-ranging intellect and an infectious love of life and you won't want to miss his story.