Nassima Landau. When Impact Collections' members visited the gallery, the renovated space was colored in baby pink and blue for the exhibition "Domesticity", highlighting the beautiful arches at the gallery's passages and complimenting the paintings on display, most of them figurative and large scale.
Photo Credit: Artist: Shona McAndrew, Nassima Landau Gallery
Photo Credit: Meir Cohen
The combination of the two – Nassima and Landau – is one of the most interesting collaborations in the Israeli art field today. Nassima admits that Landau's eye for innovative art is remarkable – she purchased Basquiat and other prominent artists long before they became household names. When Landau decided to leave her museal position, Nassima approached her for a collaboration. The two planned to have a pop-up exhibition of up-and-coming international artists, but the temporary collaboration quickly became a permanent partnership, when they decided to open the space on Ahad Ha'Am Street. Nassima and Landau's expertise and trained eye are visible in their choice of art, which is innovative, contemporary, and financially conscious, considering the shifts in the art market. Their approach is quite unique – being a nonprofit, Nassima Landau can exhibit artists that are exclusively represented by international galleries, and sell their works without any gallery commission. This allows them to expose the Israeli audience to artists who have never exhibited in the country before. It seems like Nassima Landau is exactly what the Israeli art world was missing, and that this superstar duo still has many innovative ideas up its sleeve, keeping the local art world on its toes.
Photo Credit: Peled Studios
It seems that the gallery deliberately and intentionally distances itself from traditional conceptions of art galleries in Israel. Its design and atmosphere have more of an LA feel than a Middle Eastern one, and this is certainly not accidental. "We aim to be part of the international art field, not the local one," remarks Nassima Landau's owner, Steeve Nassima. "And we're not a gallery, we're a foundation. We don't represent artists, we are a nonprofit. We're here to bring something different to the Israeli art scene", and indeed this intention is felt in every corner of the colorful space.
Steeve Nassima is a unique character in the Israeli art world. One of the most powerful people in the field today, He moved to Tel Aviv from Belgium 13 years ago. From his early years as an art collector, Nassima was fascinated by contemporary Japanese art, which he saw as a contrast to his conservative upbringing. When he discovered the work of Yayoi Kusama – long before she became an international superstar – he was enchanted. In fact, he was a key player in bringing to life Kusama's Tel Aviv Museum retrospective, which closed recently after over 600,000 people visited the show. The exhibition was curated by Suzanne Landau, one of the most influential curators in Israel, who became his business partner.
