Alex Daniëls is not only an art dealer but also a publisher. But above all, the striking Amsterdammer has distinguished himself as a networker. His gallery, located opposite the Rijksmuseum's main entrance, is a meeting place for art lovers.
In conversation with Daniëls, it becomes clear how well known he is in the art world. On the wall of his workspace are hundreds of photographs recalling encounters with the world's most famous artists, including Japanese photographer Nobuyoshi Araki, musician Moby, photographers David Lachapelle, Erwin Olaf and Miles Aldridge, director Woody Allen and many other colorful figures.
Amsterdam Magazine (AM): You have it pretty well together. You own one of the most outstanding art centers in the capital.
AD: "I work hard to always stay at the forefront of the market. It all started with my parents, who have always been collectors of mainly Cobra art [an avant-garde movement from the 1950s with a base in the Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark]. After a career in the clothing trade - they owned two stores on the fashionable Van Baerlestraat and P.C. Hoofstraat - they founded Reflex Amsterdam in the mid-1980s."
"I've been involved in the business from a young age, first helping with invitations and later helping to set up exhibitions. With my father traveling, I had the great honor of meeting artists like Arman, Keith Haring and Karel Appel in my early childhood."
AM: Their work clearly inspired you. You started wanting to be an artist yourself.
AD: I studied at the renowned Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam. I wanted to be a sculptor, but was also very interested in design. But business also attracted me.In the end, I chose to open a gallery and a publishing house."
Reflex Amsterdam is an established gallery representing both emerging and internationally known contemporary artists, including David Lachapelle, Miles Aldridge, Nobuyoshi Araki, Iris Schomaker, Daido Moriyama, Todd Hido, Spencer Tunick, Daniel Firman, Roger Ballen, Helen Beard, Harland Miller and Peggy Kuiper.
AM: Your training has allowed you, more than most other art dealers, to get a feel for the needs of artists.
AD: "Artists need to be able to trust that gallery owners understand their work and put it in the right context - in the midst of high-quality works of art. Moreover, they want to grow under the wings of art dealers. Art is not just about idealism; it's also about making a good living as an artist."
AM: Artists are increasingly becoming entrepreneurs
AD: "They have actually always been entrepreneurs, but little attention is paid to the business side of the arts in art schools. For a long time it has been taught that being commercial is counter-creative. In my opinion, that is pure nonsense. Of course there are different ways to make money - you can endlessly reprint work, but that is not good. Good artists prefer to tune their artworks to public opinion. Quality and commerce go hand in hand.
AM: How do you develop a sense of what to exhibit in your gallery?
AD: "From my education at art school, I have always read a lot about new work and the global changes in the art world. Apart from that, I travel a lot and meet artists from all over the world. My decision to represent an artist is ultimately a matter of personal taste. Photography, paintings and drawings are characterized by their authenticity, professionalism and originality. In recent years, the public has become increasingly informed about art. There is more attention to art forms and styles that until not so long ago were very elitist."
AM: What do you mean?
AD: The art world was pretty elitist, like art schools. If you didn't like an artwork, they said you didn't understand it. Nowadays, many people, especially young people and collectors, are reading more online and getting inspired and interested in art. More and more people are visiting art galleries and openings. I believe the market is more demand-driven now.
AM: And you clearly give people what they want. In recent years you have published art books on the lives and work of highly regarded painters, photographers and sculptors.
AD: Yes, that's right. Publishing about art is great. I now see a growing public demand for these books published in small editions. The artists also really enjoy having their work represented in the wonderful publications. We have already produced more than 35 books on the life and work of photographer Daido Moriyama, his colleague Nobuyoshi Araki, sculptor Marcus Harvey, David Lachapelle, Harland Miller and many others. I managed to edit the books with written texts from some well-known people in the art world such as Wim Pijbes [the former director of the Rijksmuseum], pop star Marilyn Manson and the National Portrait Gallery in London. An art book is a good entry point for artists and a way to promote work in new markets."
AM: Is Amsterdam still an important art city?
AD: "Amsterdam has always been a city on the periphery; it is not as big as, say, New York, Miami or Dubai. But the city is indeed a gateway to an important region, and the market itself is growing. From 2012 to 2014, the art scene in Amsterdam was affected by the economic crisis. Many dealers faced a major dip in their sales. That defined Spiegelgracht and its surroundings. The quality of work in certain places declined. Now, however, things are improving again; more work is being sold and the quality of art offered in Amsterdam is rising again."
AM: How did you manage to weather the economic downturn?
AD: "Although we have many visitors - national and international collectors who come to our gallery to see and touch works that suit their tastes, as well as passersby - my business does not depend solely on that. These days, 40 to 50 percent of the works in my collection are sold online. Of course, that has also had an effect on the type of customers Reflex Amsterdam does business with. Before, 10 percent of my customers were international, but that has now increased to over 50 percent."
AM: You offer works not only by well-known artists, but also by emerging young talent.
AD: "Yes, that's right. I want to create a mix of well-known and emerging artists. That said, I only want to have artists in my group for whom I can really make a difference. I want to help develop new markets for established artists and growth for emerging talent. When I started, I had to work very hard to get established artists interested in my gallery. Now I am in the comfortable position that more and more artists are asking me to represent them in my art center. The brand is becoming better known."
AM: One of the emerging artists presented at Reflex is Iris Schomaker. Since late February, you have been exhibiting the work of this young painter.
AD: "I organize exhibitions at the gallery six times a year. Schomaker is extraordinarily talented. Her work is fresh and shows great effort. In the drawings, which depict almost mechanical figures with no obvious expression, you can see sculpture and lines - the result of hard work. Schomaker also shows that art is a craft; she is a great representative of new times. I deliberately chose drawings and paintings - classic media; the market seems to be a bit overrun by photography at the moment."
AM: You have repeatedly exhibited the work of photographers in recent years.
AD: "I was one of the very first to embrace the new art form. I started with the confrontational work of the famous Dutch photographer Erwin Olaf. Since 1999, I have also organized exhibitions by Larry Sultan and Nobuyoshi Araki. It is not easy to show the amazing quality of these masters at a time when photography as an art form was not yet presented. Not all the work on the market is good; very few artists are on the level of the famous pioneers. Nevertheless, I believe that the market - like the economy as a whole - moves in waves, and will always recover eventually."
About Reflex Amsterdam
is one of the leading art dealers in Amsterdam. The gallery is located in a nineteenth-century building at the foot of Spiegelgracht - the city's main art district - right across from the main entrance to the Rijksmuseum. Reflex Amsterdam presents the work of leading painters, photographers and sculptors, such as Nobuyoshi Araki, David Lachapelle, Harland Miller, Todd Hiddo and Daido Moriyama. The gallery also publishes limited editions and art books on the lives and work of its exhibitors. Owner Alex Daniëls took over the space of Reflex Amsterdam (named for the manifesto of the Cobra art movement in the 1950s) several years ago. With his exciting exhibitions, the entrepreneur attracts not only a large number of artists, collectors and connoisseurs, but also an increasing number of interested young people.