Worked at Sotheby’s Auction House in New York at the Contemporary department and later on at the Global Fine Arts department.
Today she lives in Monte Carlo and is involved with the arts in Monaco and Greece.
Find out more on her curatorial debut- exhibition of the international Yannis Kottis at the island of Hydra, which she curated earlier this summer in the midst of the challenging lockdown.
Her poignant analysis on art under hammer published in ViMagazino sheds light on the art market.
The way in which auctions are conducted may have changed, but one thing remains stable: people still dispose large sums of money for art and luxury items.
“In any case, many people used to buy over the phone, online or by absentee bid form, even without having seen the piece of art up close, before the issue of the pandemic arose. The online-only auctions of the three major auction houses raised a total of $ 596.7 million from January to August 2020, while during the entire previous year the corresponding amount did not exceed $ 168.2 million. Sotheby's is the big winner of the turn to the digital, since during the same period the increase in its exclusively digital auctions was at a rate of 413%. Another trend that is observed before the pandemic, is the increase of private sales, i.e. sales that are not open to the whole world, but are conducted with a certain number of potential buyers”, says the researcher and art curator Elya Tsouvelekakis.
Dear Elya,
Thank you for sharing with us your brilliant art curatorial debut, we want to give a numerology twist to our interview with you and wish you much success in your future projects between Greece and Monaco.
The number of paintings you saw at Sotheby’s in New York during your assignment?
So many! I was a researcher so I saw hundreds of works every day in books, pictures, on my computer, or in real life.
Plus, I always tried to pass by the exhibition spaces to see what was going to be for auction and there was always an exhibition on view. So I can’t even imagine how many works I saw...!
The day that you encountered an important person?
21 October 2016 - I saw Lady Gaga performing at the opposite balcony of my New York apartment. I was studying for an exam at NYU and she made a surprise show performance to promote her new album at The Bitter End bar, where she used to perform when studying at NYU. I watched her perform from my balcony in my pyjamas, thinking what an amazing city New York is!
Number of books you read during confinement? Must be about 15, I don’t know exactly.
The year you made your curator debut: 2020
Lucky number: I always pick number 7 but I don’t actually know if it is a lucky number for me.
Then if you want a specific number the only one I can find that keeps kind of repeating is number 3:
- I changed my major at NYU 3 times (studio art then economics then history of art and I made the other two as minors) and the one I kept was the one I chose at my 3rd year at university.
- I changed 3 apartments in NYC the 5 years I lived there. One was apartment number 3T and two of them were on the 3rd floor.
- The artist Yannis Kottis for whom I curated my first exhibition in Hydra island, Greece this summer, wished for me at his interview a quote from Odysseas Elitis. The quote says «Τα 3 Τ της επιτυχίας, ταλέντο, τόλμη και τύχη.» meaning “the 3 T of success, talent, courage, boldness.” (Courage and boldness are works that start from “t” too in Greek). And by complete coincidence I had this quote on a sticker note above my desk in New York!
- I have lived in 3 cities, Athens, New York, and Monaco
- I have broken 3 of my teeth - not sure if you want to write that 🤣 I hope I stay at 3 as well!
- I had 3 interviews at Sotheby’s for the floater position in 2018.
Credit Pictures: Nikos Paliopoulos for Vimagazino
Pressbook:
https://www.tanea.gr/2020/08/25/market/giannis-kottis-ekthesi-me-thema-lokntaoun-enas-minas/
https://www.in.gr/2020/08/25/plus/ta-nea-tis-agoras/giannis-kottis-ekthesi-thema-lokntaoun-enas-minas/
https://www.tovima.gr/2020/08/25/market/giannis-kottis-ekthesi-me-thema-lokntaoun-enas-minas/
https://www.mononews.gr/politismos/o-giannis-kottis-ektheti-stin-idra
https://www.iefimerida.gr/politismos/elthesi-ellina-zografoy-gianni-kotti-stin-udra
https://www.kathimerini.gr/1093351/article/politismos/eikastika/o-giannhs-kotths-ek8etei-sthn-ydra
https://hydraspoliteia.blogspot.com/2020/08/lockdown-one-month-278-149-cafe-grande.html?m=1
http://www.hydra.gr/front/details/?id=329
https://www.bovary.gr/art/watch-it/ekthesi-toy-ellina-zografoy-gianni-kotti-stin-ydra
https://fonitisydras.com/info/civil/item/5086-lockdown-one-month-o-giannis-kottis-ekthetei-stin-ydra
https://www.madamefigaro.gr/good-life/politismos/118937/ekthesi-tou-diethnous-fimis-ellina-zografou-gianni-kotti-stin-udra
https://www.missbloom.gr/sygxroni-zoi/o-giannis-kottis-ekthetei-stin-ydra-lokntaoun-enas-minas/
https://www.harpersbazaar.gr/living/entertainment/14198/lockdown-one-month-i-ekthesi-tou-diethnous-fimis-zografou-gianni-kotti-stin-udra
https://www.tovima.gr/2020/09/06/vimagazino/oi-dimiourgies-tou-lockdown/
https://korinthia.net.gr/2020/08/28/ο-διεθνούς-φήμης-κορίνθιος-γιάννης-κό/21947/
https://www.tanea.gr/print/2020/08/29/lifearts/blue-diary/i-mageia-lfpou-ekpempei-lfo-giannis-kottis/
https://www.multi-news.gr/kathimerini-giannis-kottis-ektheti-stin-idra/
https://theworldnews.net/gr-news/ekthese-tou-spoudaiou-ellena-zographou-gianne-kotte-sten-udra-me-thema-lokntaoun-enas-menas
https://www.saronicmagazine.gr/saronikos/idra/21323-koyntoyrioteia-2020-stin-idra-afieroma-ston-milto-saxtoyri
https://www.ert.gr/xorigies/koyntoyrioteia-2020-m-sachtoyris-taxideyontas-stin-ydra-me-ton-klironomo-ton-poylion/
https://www.efsyn.gr/tehnes/art-nea/255393_o-mario-bitti-epitimos-dimotis-ydras
https://www.zougla.gr/politismos/article/idra-afieroma-ston-milto-saktouri-ton-lefteri-ksan8opoulo-ke-ton-mario-viti