VIRGINIA DAMTSA, GALLERIST & CURATOR

Virginia Damtsa- CULTIVATING ARTISTIC FUTURES & CATALYST FOR CONTEMPORARY VISIONARIES

 

With a wealth of experience spanning twenty-seven years, Virginia Damtsa, Director of VVA VirginiaVisualArts Ltd., stands as a seasoned and respected Art Dealer, Art Gallerist, Curator, Cultural Strategist and Artist Agent, bringing a unique and invaluable perspective to the art world. Damtsa's passion for the arts began at a young age when she helped her uncle open the Museum of Alekos K. Damtsa in The Art Centre Giorgio de Chirico at just sixteen years old. She went on to pursue History of Arts in Cambridge followed by two Master's degrees in Art Management at the University of the Arts and Contemporary Art at Sotheby's, where she honed her expertise in the field. 

 

Throughout her career, Damtsa has curated several exhibitions in her personal gallery space, as well as in other galleries, temporary spaces and art fairs. From 2003-2017, she co-owned with composer and writer Tot Taylor, Riflemaker London, a contemporary art gallery housed in a historic gunmaker's workshop off Regent Street. Built in 1712, it is one of the oldest public buildings in the West End of London. 

 

In addition to her work as a gallerist and curator, Damtsa has also lectured at Christie's for the Master's degree in Art, Law, and Business. Damtsa, who co- founded iconic gallery Riflemaker, counts Nick Rhodes from Duran Duran and Michael Seresin, cinematographer of Harry Potter, amongst her collectors. Annie Lennox has also been a long- standing enthusiast of the gallery’s representation of visionary powerful artists. Virginia Damtsa has also worked with musician Peter Gabriel on an art and music project for his new album, i/o. The project features renowned artists such as Annette Messager, Olafur Eliasson, Ai Weiwei, Tim Shaw, Nick Cave, David Spriggs, Cornelia Parker, and many others. Damtsa is currently planning to tour the project in various museums.

 

With her extensive experience and impressive network of industry connections, Virginia Damtsa continues to push boundaries and expand the reach of contemporary art. 

         

Curated Exhibitions

Damtsa curated several exhibitions with emerging and established artists such as Martin Kippenberger and Maria Papadimitriou, Judy Chicago, Takis, Yoko Ono, William S. Burroughs, Liliane Lijn, Penelope Slinger, Gavin Turk, Alice Anderson, Chris Levine, Christopher Bucklow, John Maeda, Julie Verhoeven, Ralph Ziman, Conrad Shawcross, Wolfe von Lenkiewicz and many others. 

 

She also worked with legendary musician Peter Gabriel and his team for an amazing collaboration of art and music bringing artists such as Ai Weiwei, Cornelia Parker, Judy Chicago, Nick Cave, Olafur Eliasson, Tomas Saraceno, Barthelemy Toguo, Annette Messager, Tim Spriggs, for an impressive immersive exhibition live and online. The album is now number one in the UK. 

 

Virginia Damtsa is a highly respected art dealer, curator, and gallerist with a deep understanding of the art market. In 2018, she founded VirginiaVisualArts, an art agency and gallery that represents more than fifty artists and manages their careers, introducing them to new opportunities, exhibitions, museums and collectors. 

As a strategist, mentor, advisor, consultant, and PR expert, Damtsa provides artists with the support they need to break into the art market and achieve their full potential. She is deeply committed to working closely with each artist, guiding them through the art world's complexities and assisting with sales and promotions. 

In addition to her work with VirginiaVisualArts, Damtsa runs her own art school, where she teaches professionals about art history and the art market. She also provides mentorship and guidance to artists and creatives and writes about art in major financial newspapers. Her expertise has also led to numerous appearances on TV as an Art World Expert, where she shares her insights on the contemporary art world. 

 

Damtsa curates over twenty exhibitions per year and uses several exhibition spaces in Fitzrovia, Marylebone, Mayfair, Notting Hill and other galleries to showcase her artists' works. She actively participates in art fairs and collaborates with other galleries to curate exhibitions and create connections and sales between artists, galleries, major collectors, and museums. With her extensive experience, vast network of connections, and in-depth knowledge of the arts and the art world, Virginia Damtsa continues to make a significant contribution to the contemporary art scene, empowering artists to achieve their full potential and bringing their works to new audiences. 

 

Reference

All artists need help and support to build their careers and Virginia Damtsa is well equipped to provide that. Judy Chicago, Artist 

 

I worked with Virginia on the IO art & music project where she coordinated and helped to select artists for each of the different songs. It has been a pleasure to work with her. She made some great recommendations, was very thorough putting everything together and her deep knowledge of the art world was a real asset for our project. 

Peter Gabriel, Musician

 

Links:

www.virginiavisualarts.com

www.virginiadamtsa.com 

www.riflemaker.org

Instagram:virginia_damtsa

virginia@virginiadamtsa.com 

https://youtu.be/cjRcBK_ztrI​ 

 

music

‘Baby, I Miss The Internet’ (Rama, Rama, Rama) 

by TOT TAYLOR

is used by kind permission of the artist

©Tot Taylor/Songmatic Music (2020)