Alma Allen’s Venice Biennale selection is already testing the market
The controversy surrounding American sculptor Alma Allen (b. 1970) has become inseparable from his appointment as the United States representative at this year’s Venice Biennale, which opens to art professionals and press next week. The debate has focused not only on the politics of the selection, but also on the unusual structure behind it: instead of a museum-led commission, the pavilion is being overseen by the newly formed American Arts Conservancy, headed by Jenni Parido, who ran a boutique pet food lifestyle shop in Tampa, Florida, until 2024 and entered Donald Trump’s orbit through pet charity events at Mar-a-Lago.
The fallout has already reached Allen’s gallery representation. After the announcement, Olney Gleason and Mendes Wood DM dropped him. Perrotin then stepped in, giving the artist a new high-profile platform and announcing his first solo exhibition with the gallery in Paris in October, during Art Basel Paris and the final full month of the Biennale.
For now, the market has remained comparatively steady. Small works by Allen have mostly sold at auction for between $4,000 and $12,000, while a 2016 sculpture in found black marble brought $12,900 at Phillips in March, above its $7,000 to $10,000 estimate. Allen also works in furniture design, and his sculptural tables and stools have sold for $35,000 to $65,000, with some commissions reaching $125,000.
His primary market is broader and more expensive, with current prices ranging from $25,000 to $300,000. Pedestal-scale works are priced around $35,000 to $50,000, human-size indoor pieces at $65,000 to $100,000, and larger outdoor sculptures starting around $150,000.
Allen’s collector base has long extended beyond the usual gallery circuit. Early buyers included designers, jewelers, artists, and other creative figures who encountered his work in the 1990s, when he sold small sculptures from an ironing board on a downtown New York street corner after being hit by a bus and needing money for food. By 2014, collectors reportedly included Peter Morton, Jack Pierson, and Mark Fletcher. Beth Rudin DeWoody, a longtime supporter, has also remained publicly loyal, saying she collects his work and regrets the controversy.
The larger question is whether Venice will ultimately strengthen Allen’s position or simply add volatility to an already closely watched career. Perrotin expects the Biennale to bring “further opportunities from both institutional and private collections,” and Allen’s long record of direct sales, loyal collectors, and relatively disciplined pricing suggests there is still room for the market to absorb the noise.
