Matt Bangser, long a fixture at Blum and a discreet broker of high-stakes deals, will join Art Intelligence Global (AIG) as senior director on September 8, the firm announced Tuesday.
Bangser’s appointment brings to the advisory firm a mix of gallery savvy, auction-house discipline, and a rolodex built over two decades in the trade. He spent 16 years at Blum (formerly Blum & Poe), where he oversaw global sales, secured major estates such as Robert Colescott, and worked closely with artists including Mark Grotjahn and Henry Taylor. Before that came senior posts at Van de Weghe Fine Art, and worked across departments at Phillips, and Christie’s. From 2017 to 2020 sat on board of the Art Dealers Association of America.
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The move follows the closure of Blum’s Los Angeles and Tokyo galleries last month, when founder Tim Blum announced that he was walking away from the traditional gallery model. The decision, he said, was less about the market than the “system” — the art world’s relentless circuit of fairs, openings, and obligations. News of the shutdown prompted a volley of calls to Bangser, one of them from AIG co-founder Amy Cappellazzo. Their conversations, Bangser told ARTnews, revealed “a real meeting of the minds” about the market. “Joining AIG is a natural evolution of my time in the art world,” he said.
Cappellazzo, who launched AIG with Yuki Terase in 2021, told ARTnews that she was not looking to expand her senior ranks but that adding Bangser was “one of those rare opportunities you don’t pass up.” She credited him with “understanding the whole ecosystem”—from artist studios to secondary-market trading floors. She added that he sees the current market lull as a moment to advance rather than retreat. “Because he’s worked in galleries, at auction houses, and directly with artists, he brings a range of experience that’s incredibly valuable—especially now,” Cappellazzo said.
AIG, based in New York and Hong Kong, advises private clients, artists, estates, and institutions on acquisitions, sales, and long-term collection planning. Its third founding partner, Adam Chinn, is no longer with the firm and now heads International Art Finance, a boutique art-lending company.