May Gallerist
Meet Peggy Leboeuf, senior director of powerhouse gallery Perrotin’s New York space. A graduate of La Sorbonne Paris, Leboeuf started working for founder Emmanuel Perrotin in 1996, becoming the French dealer’s second employee just six years after he opened his first gallery in Paris. In 2013, Leboeuf spearheaded the Perrotin’s first New York location in the Upper East Side, before helping launch its 2,300-square-meter space in the Lower East Side in 2017.
At Frieze New York last week, Perrotin presented a solo booth of works by Claire Tabouret, which was selected as one of Artsy’s best booths from the fair. The Gallerist spoke to Leboeuf about New York Art Week, art fairs, and how Artsy supports the gallery’s outreach.
What were your broad impressions of New York Art Week and Frieze? What’s your overall strategy for the week, and how has it evolved from previous editions?
The preview day of Frieze New York was very busy—even some of my favorite French clients came! Since all major fairs were happening at the same time, compared to being spread across two weeks last year, there was a high concentration of people in the city at the same time. For the first time at Frieze New York, we decided to focus on a solo presentation, with a new series of works by Claire Tabouret. It has been an important year for Claire, as she was honored with a commission to create the stained glass windows of Notre Dame and will have an exhibition at the Grand Palais. For our booth, she made seven amazing portraits of herself and her two daughters in peaceful states of rest, offering a moment of reflection in a chaotic time. We also decided to extend our Frieze Week programming with a group showroom at our Lower East Side gallery…This dual approach allowed us to maximize our reach between the gallery and the fair.
How does your team integrate online platforms like Artsy into your broader fair week strategy—whether that’s for building buzz, connecting with collectors, or supporting sales?
Our online strategy evolves for each presentation, which can be to boost sales, in-person attendance, or reach new audiences. When there is a group presentation, we utilize platforms like Artsy for supporting sales, but when we have a small solo presentation, it becomes about amplifying the presence of the artist and building excitement. This is why we had an online presentation of our dedicated showroom during Frieze Week.
What advice would you give to galleries when it comes to integrating their digital operations into these IRL moments?
Publishing at least installation views of every presentation is incredibly helpful in spreading the word about what you have going on. Artsy can be a great platform for growing your audience, both with collectors and a broader public. The page has to be dynamic. Nothing will happen if you just add a few images here and there: It takes consistency and needs to be uploaded correctly. To help with this, one of our team members is in charge of updating Artsy and helping us understand how to use it better. Thanks to him!