Mrs Schwartz, who has an eponymous gallery in Melbourne’s Flinders Lane, will
be an anchor tenant in a new commercial and retail area adjacent to
CarriageWork’s cavernous performance spaces.
It is not known if she has received reduced rent or other
financial incentives from the NSW government, which last year opened the $49
million contemporary performance space in the old Eveleigh rail yards.
Mrs Schwartz said yesterday that she would not talk about
her expansion until later this week.
It is hoped that the second stage of the CarriageWorks development, the commercial and retail
area in which Mrs Schwartz’s gallery will sit, will help attract visitors to
the cultural precinct.
CarriageWorks is
still relatively unknown to many Sydneysiders – and to many Sydney taxi – drivers
despite being lauded for its funky warehouse-style appearance and having staged
a wide range of events, from fashion shows and performances by local and international
contemporary artists to last week’s Australia Business Arts Foundation awards.
Mrs Schwartz, who is married to Melbourne property developer and The Monthly
magazine publisher Morry Schwartz, operates at the more esoteric end of the art
market.
She represents some of the nation’s better known contemporary
artists including Peter Booth,
Melinda Harper, John
Nixon, Stieg Persson, Callum Morton and Daniel von Sturmer. The latter two represented
Australia
at this year’s Venice Biennale.
Mrs Schwartz has hired Sherman Galleries director Simeon
Kronenberg to head the new gallery, which coincides with a decision by Sherman to become a
non-selling art foundation from next year.
Anna Schwartz and Sherman
owner Gene Sherman traditionally have been rivals, and it will be interesting
to see whether any of Sherman’s artists and/or clients migrate to Mrs Schwartz.