United Talent Agency suspends fine arts division after director's departure
United Talent Agency (UTA) is shutting down its fine arts division after the exit of director Arthur Lewis. This division, launched in 2015, was known for bridging contemporary art with entertainment and digital media. As a result, upcoming exhibitions in Los Angeles and Atlanta that featured artists like Lonnie Holley and Ernie Barnes will be canceled. While this division closes, other parts of UTA will keep working with visual artists. Lewis, who stepped into the role in 2019 following the death of founder Joshua Roth, played a key role in opening the Atlanta UTA Artist Space last year and had ambitions for a New York launch. He thanked UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer for his backing.
Key facts
- United Talent Agency (UTA) has put its fine arts division 'on pause'
- UTA Fine Arts director Arthur Lewis has departed
- UTA was the first talent agency to enter the contemporary art world in 2015
- The division represented artists in entertainment, digital, and social media
- Exhibition spaces in Los Angeles and Atlanta will close
- Artists previously exhibited include Lonnie Holley and Mandy El-Sayegh
- Visual artists will continue to be represented by other UTA divisions
- Lewis was appointed in 2019 after founder Joshua Roth's death
- Lewis oversaw the Atlanta UTA Artist Space opening last year
- He was planning an expansion to New York
- In a statement, Lewis thanked UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer
Entities
Artists
- Lonnie Holley
- Ernie Barnes
- Mandy El-Sayegh
- Ferrari Sheppard
- Sasha December
- Célia Rakotondrainy
- Hely Omar Gonzalez
Institutions
- United Talent Agency (UTA)
- UTA Fine Arts
- UTA Artist Space
- ArtReview
Locations
- Los Angeles
- Atlanta
- New York
- United States