Today it was announced that Gemma Rolls-Bentley has joined Avant Arte as Chief Curator. In the newly-created role, Rolls-Bentley will run Avant Arte’s artist and curatorial strategy. She will work alongside Christian Luiten, Head of Artist Community, to build relationships with artists, curators and the wider cultural ecosystem. Rolls-Bentley will also be responsible for managing partnerships with cultural institutions, museums and charitable organisations. Based in London, she will manage teams across Avant Arte’s offices in London and Amsterdam.
Gemma Rolls-Bentley, Chief Curator, said:
“Since its inception, Avant Arte has been leading the way in introducing artists to a new generation of collectors and art lovers. The team have built incredible relationships with artists, giving them the time and space to create and experiment. I am thrilled to be joining them as they scale to continue to build a diverse programme of artists, curators and partnerships. I firmly believe that everyone should have access to art whether it’s hanging on their walls, or on their Instagram feed. Avant Arte is making this happen and I couldn’t be happier to work with a team that empowers artists and opens up access to their work.”
Before joining Avant Arte, Rolls-Bentley was Curatorial Director at Artsy where she led the online art platform’s curatorial strategy. She is a visiting lecturer at the Royal College of Art and co-chairs the board of trustees of Queercircle, a charity that supports art, culture, health and well-being in the LGBTQ+ community and she is a member of the Courtauld Association Committee board.
“Gemma is widely known for opening the art world to new voices and I am thrilled that she will be bringing her years of experience to Avant Arte. Artists are at the heart of everything we do at Avant Arte. We have big ambitions and with Gemma on board, I look forward to us growing our community of artists, collectors and art lovers.”
Christian Luiten, Head of Artist Community and Co-Founder
About
Gemma is Chief Curator at Avant Arte, a creative marketplace that makes discovering and owning art radically more accessible for a new generation. Gemma runs Avant Arte’s artist and curatorial strategy, managing teams in London and Amsterdam to build relationships with artists, curators, and the wider cultural ecosystem. Gemma is also a visiting lecturer at the Royal College of Art and an advisor to early stage startups and cultural projects. She co-chairs the board of trustees for Queercircle, a charity that supports art, culture, health and well-being in the LGBTQ+ community and she is a member of the Courtauld Association Committee board.
In her work as a curator, writer, lecturer and business leader, Gemma spent six years at Artsy and five years at Damien Hirst’s studio. Over the past 15 years, Gemma has delivered projects for a range of global institutions and platforms including the National Portrait Gallery, Palace of Fine Arts San Francisco, Somerset House, Daata Editions, Gay Times, and the Fawcett Society, her work often explores cultural representation of queer identity and gender equality. Most recently, Gemma curated the art collection for Soho House’s new Brighton venue, which will open to members in Spring 2022.
