Jeff Poe steps down from Blum & Poe, a mainstay of the Los Angeles gallery scene

Jeff Poe, the co-founder of Los Angeles powerhouse gallery Blum & Poe, announced Monday (14 August) that he will step back from his role after nearly 30 years of running the gallery with co-founder Tim Blum.

Poe did not specify his plans for the future, but did say in a statement he will continue working with artists and art, and will “be going down a simpler and more fluid path”.

Poe said he has always been engaged in “building quieter aspects of the gallery”, including developing the real estate, design and architecture of its spaces.

“I’ll continue with that too,” Poe said. “I’m pretty excited about having the freedom to fully embrace a new practice.”

Blum and Poe established their first Los Angeles gallery in 1994. Since then, the pair have opened spaces in New York and Tokyo, and have additional staff based in Taipei and Paris, according to the gallery. Blum & Poe represent more than 60 artists and estates from 16 countries. The gallery helped launch the careers of major artists including Mark Grotjahn, Yoshitomo Nara and Takashi Murakami. As Blum & Poe has grown, the wider Los Angeles art scene has also experienced explosive growth over the previous three decades.

“It’s been an extraordinary journey building this gallery with Jeff,” Blum said in a statement.

The gallery also announced Monday that longtime New York-based Partner Matt Bangser has been promoted to managing partner, a newly-created position.