The following Q&A appeared in Modern Painters’ August issue, which profiles the world’s top galleries of 2016. ARTINFO will be publishing the articles from this issue over the next few days. Click here to see related stories from the issue. To find all our coverage of the 500 Best Galleries Worldwide, as well as ARTINFO’s top picks for the best in visual arts, architecture and design, performing arts, lifestyle, and culture and travel, visit our Top Lists page.Best Galleries// The AmericasKurimanzutto | Mexico CityFrom humble, decidedly DIY beginnings, Kurimanzutto has grown into a powerhouse gallery in Mexico. We spoke to cofounder José Kuri on how the space came to represent a who’s who of internationally renowned talent, including Adrián Villar Rojas, Danh Vo, Abraham Cruzvillegas, Gabriel Orozco, Monika Sosnowska, and Sarah Lucas.How did you get your start in the art world, and what eventually inspired you to open your own gallery?I have always been exposed to art. My older brother [Gabriel Kuri] decided he wanted be an artist at a very young age, so I grew up in that atmosphere, with plenty of friends in common. [Cofounder and wife] Mónica Manzutto came into my life later on; she had fresh eyes for everything and we decided to open the gallery. We were both studying in New York when Gabriel Orozco approached us with the initial idea: that there was great need for
a gallery to represent a generation of artists who were already very active in the Mexican scene.What is the collector base like in Mexico City, and how have you seen it change since the gallery opened?A collector base has never been a consideration, and it certainly did not make us decide for or against our project back in 1999. When we first opened the gallery, there were very few collectors in Mexico City. It was almost a desert in terms of collecting, but that was not important to us. There were two or three really well-informed buyers, such as Patrick Charpenel and Eugenio López, who was just starting the Jumex Collection, but we focused on finding collectors abroad. This was before the globalization of the art market and art fairs, so we had to travel extensively and meet people face to face. (“E-mail, what is that?”)How do you end a typical workday?At Salon Ardalio, our nearby cantina, having a drink with one or many of the gallery artists.Do you find that there is a shared spirit or ambition, however broad, among the artists you work with?Absolutely. The gallery is a family, and it could not exist without a shared vision of the world. As much as we may work as individuals and with artists who
have their own unique careers and projects, the feelings and ideals we share are the motor that keeps us
going together.What’s a place in Mexico City—art-related or other—that you would suggest a first-time visitor check out?Museo Anahuacalli. It is the modern-day version of a pyramid, designed by Diego Rivera and completed after his death. It was meant to house his studio and his pre-Columbian ceramics collection. It’s a hidden jewel.Can you tell us a bit about some of the artwork
in your own collection—the pieces you live with on a daily basis?We have many artworks from the gallery’s artists, and we like to contrast them with more historical works: our beloved André Cadere stick alongside a beautiful Metaesquema by Hélio Oiticica, and a late 1950s mask by Mexican Estridentista artist Germán Cueto (Mónica gave it to me as a birthday present). We also have photographs by Armando Salas Portugal and a vignette by Mexican modernist artist-anthropologist Miguel Covarrubias, depicting a Balinese woman.Looking back at the past year, what’s one gallery exhibition that you’re especially proud of?The “Taller de los viernes” (Friday workshop) exhibition, curated by Guillermo Santamarina. This show brought together the work of Abraham Cruzvillegas, Damián Ortega, Dr. Lakra, Gabriel Kuri, and Gabriel Orozco. I met many of those artists through my brother back in the late 1980s, and it’s amazing that we still enjoy and have fun working together, after almost 30 years.What projects do you have planned in the
near future?Parallel to the gallery program, we have a billboard exhibition space called Sonora 128 that we inaugurated in March with Wolfgang Tillmans. Upcoming projects will be authored by Antonio Caro, a legendary Colombian artist, and (I hope) Patti Smith. Also, we have an exhibition coming up in an old cantina with photographs by Japanese artist Nobuyoshi Araki.Let’s say I’m a young collector who has earmarked around $5,000 for a single, modest acquisition in 2016. Without knowing my hypothetical tastes, of course, are there any works in this price range toward which you might steer me?It is not at all a modest amount, and it can be a very powerful sum if it’s well spent. Rather than give
a name, I would recommend you try to believe in that impulse, in your intuition. Do not buy a piece because it is a must-have, or what one ought to buy, but because you are following a well-informed, studied gut feeling. Trust your instinct.
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