HOTSPOT | LUMAS GALLERY

About four years ago, I ran into this gallery called Lumas in Berlin. I immediately was attracted to its open appearance and decided to go in. From that moment on I knew that one day I would like to have my own gallery. There were artists running around and telling people about their work, the staff was so nice and eager to tell me all about the gallery and the works were just splendid. It felt refreshing to be at a modern gallery, that was nothing like the high class vibe I was used to in other galleries. I realized that photography had so much more to offer than I thought at the time. If only Lumas would come to Amsterdam, was what I hoped for ever since. You can imagine my joy when I found out that Lumas opened its doors in our capital a few months ago! A few weeks ago I met Liselott Roos, Gallery Director at Lumas. An impression of our conversation:

Floor: I notice that a lot of galleries serve the higher art segment. Then there is of course street art and mass production. Lumas seems to be right in between.

Liselott: Exactly. Lumas sells affordable, yet exclusive art. We multiply the works with a maximum of 150, but the customer always receives an edition sticker telling him exactly which work of the series he bought. Furthermore, the artist always signs the work, which makes all the works we sell valuable pieces.

Floor: Is Lumas a platform for young artists or an amazing chance to buy a work of an established artist for a 'small' price.

Liselott: Both, but we are not necessarily a platform for young artists. We actually sell a lot of works from established artists.

Floor: Lumas is a pretty well known gallery by now, but I can imagine that not every artist wants to see their work being multiplied by 150. Was it hard to find appropriate artists in the beginning?

Liselott: Not really actually. And I hope that in the future, we will be able to feature more Dutch artists than we do now. We do sell the works of Marcel Wanders, Piet Paris and Bart van Leeuwen, but I am looking forward to promote more Dutch artists. (For the Dutchies among you that would like to send in their work: portfolio@lumas.com)

Floor: Lumas' got galleries around the globe. Are there differences between the galleries in Amsterdam, Berlin and Paris for example?

Liselott: Yes, there definitely are. We all select the pieces that we exhibit in the gallery ourselves and try to relate the selection to the dominant trends in the city. With that said, it is no surprise that the galleries all have their own vibe. You are able to order every work in our collection in every store though. Just as you are able to order it online yourself. 

Floor: Does that mean that there is a strong demand for typically Dutch or Amsterdam art?

Liselott: Well, I think that as the Dutch travel a lot, most of us are interested in what is going on abroad. We are interested in art that reminds us of special moments - a backpacking trip in Asia for example - and gives us that cosmopolitan feel. 

Floor: Just curious. Who visits the gallery?

Liselott: A lot of young families in the weekends and throughout the week the customers are very diverse. We do not really have an adequate description of our target audience. Funny thing is that, as we sell art in different segments, some people come in to spend a few hundred euros and some people come in to spend a few thousand. That makes it a really fun and surprising customer group. 

Floor: And I can imagine that Lumas is quite the place for art enthusiasts that want to start collecting art.

Liselott: Yes, we definitely are. People that want to start collecting art are very shy, most of the time. They apologize for not being an expert and gathered all their courage to step into our gallery. I love that they do step into our gallery though, as we do not think in terms of experts and non-experts. Everyone knows what they like. So everyone is an expert of their own taste. And as there is something to find here for every budget, I think it does make it a little easier to start your art collection with a Lumas piece.

Lumas is located in the Van Baerlestraat (number 8) and as you can tell from the pictures, it has got a really nice vibe. It makes you feel a little bit like you are at home. I think it is the best place for (young) art enthusiasts like us, to go and start our own art collection. Because IKEA is just not our style and because we thrive on innovative concepts like this. 

Thank you Liselott for taking the time to talk to me. 

Happy Friday!

-xoxo-

JP

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