100 most influential people in the art world

Each October, ArtReview magazine publishes an annual list of the 100 most influential people in the art world. In 2013, it was no surprise that Sheikha Al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin Ghalifa Al-Thani headed the list, which seems to place primary importance on the financial clout of the various players. At the young age of 30, the sister of the reigning Emir of Qatar spends almost $1 billion on art. Three mega-gallerymen – David Zwirner, Iwan Wirth (Haüser & Wirth) and Larry Gagosian – take the next three places, followed by grey eminences Hans Ulrich Obrist and Julia Peyton-Jones, who co-direct the Serpentine Gallery in London.
The top rungs of the ladder set the tone. From a quick scan of the ArtReview Power 100 it includes 28 gallery owners, 19 collectors, 18 directors of museums and foundations, three publications (e-flux, Asia Art Archive and Contemporary Art Daily), three directors of art fairs (Marc Spiegler for Art Basel at No. 16, Matthew Slotover and Amanda Sharp for Frieze at No. 27 and Jennifer Flay for FIAC at No. 99), two directors of auction houses (Brett Gorvy, Christie’s director of post-war and contemporary art at No. 50 and Tobias Meyer, Sotheby’s international director of contemporary art at No. 52), and one art school (Bard College). It would therefore appear that galleries are more important than museums and artists more influential than collectors.
The major players within these main categories were:
- Sheikha al-Thani (No.1), François Pinault (No. 19), Patricia Phelps de Cisneros (No. 25), Maja Hoffmann (No. 26), Eli and Edythe Broad (No. 28) for collectors;
- Nicholas Serrota, director of the Tate (No. 6) and Glenn D. Lowry, Director of MoMA in New York (No. 7) for museums;
- Ai WeiWei (No. 9), Marina Abramovic (No. 11), Cindy Sherman (No. 13), Gerhard Richter (No.15) and Isa Genzken (No. 35) for artists.