Susanne Vielmetter

People within the art industry generally recognize dealer Susanne Vielmetter for her “tell it like it is” approach to the business. She’s an outspoken advocate for gender parity and has been for more than three decades. In a year defined by the growing belief that we must address these injustices, that commitment couldn’t be more relevant.   

When asked about the progress made and that which is still to come, she gave a sober assessment: “Even though substantial progress has not happened in the market, there is hope because attention is being increasingly paid to this problem,” she told Observer. “But solving the problem needs to be a group effort, where galleries, collectors, curators, institutions and the press all work together. Addressing the problem only from the gallery side does not solve it, and therefore change has been incredibly and frustratingly slow.”

Vielmetter’s commitment to diversity has long been part of her gallery’s mission, but she says the pandemic sharpened her focus. Now, her gallery demands more varied representation among collectors, critics, institutions and curators, and as a result of the Black Lives Matter movement, pays more attention to the heterogeneity of their internal gallery structure. 

When asked whether she has more free time due to the pandemic, Vielmetter told Observer that the issue of time remains more or less the same: There’s not enough of it. Instead, she spends her hours in different ways. “What I save on travel time, I spend on Zoom meeting time.” 

A Rodney McMillian solo show is currently on view at the gallery and will run through the end of the year.