Maddox Gallery once again played host to guests at Art Miami—also known as Miami’s premier anchor fair—officially kicking off Art Week. The event is globally recognized as a primary destination for the acquisition of the most important works from the 20th and 21st centuries and this year was no different. To walk us through Maddox Gallery’s showcase we sat down with owner Jay Rutland and David Yarrow, who debuted his piece “The Wolves of Wall Street II,” which was inspired by Martin Scorcese’s film.
Photo Credit: Maddox Gallery
HL: Why did you choose host Yarrow’s “Wolves of Wall Street II”? What drew you to his pieces?
JR: Yarrow is a staunch conservationist and is renowned all over the world for his mesmerizing images of wildlife, indigenous communities and landscapes. But his exceptional talent goes far beyond photographing our environment. He also has the ability to capture a scene, moments in time that define our era. Martin Scorsese is one of Yarrow’s all-time heroes. As such, Yarrow went above and beyond to ensure this picture didn’t materially underachieve in its recreation. Kate Bock and Daniela Braga feature alongside Jordan Belfort. It is a truly outstanding image and has been the biggest production of his career to-date so we couldn’t come to Art Miami and not display it.
HL: I know MG is a renowned destination in Europe, and that there is one in L.A., but do you have plans to expand further in North America?
JR: We will celebrate our fourth anniversary in December and America is still fairly new territory for us. However, we always strive to bring our brand closer to the U.S.’s discerning client base and are certainly considering doing so. We have our eye on New York so watch this space.
HL: MG is often revered for making art fun and sexy. How do you think it is doing that?
JR: We are in constant pursuit of the most innovative and thought-provoking talent in Contemporary Art today. We are known for our irreverent attitude to tradition and aren’t afraid to push the boundaries in the art world and do things differently. It’s easy for the scene to get somewhat stale so we pride ourselves on our dynamic and fun company culture as well as putting our artists and their craft first. This seems to excite our clients and resonates with them, which is perfect for our brand as we aim to showcase art as a lifestyle offering as opposed to just an asset. We believe that art is so much more than just something one hangs on their wall or acquires for investment purposes and this strategy is taking us from strength to strength.
Photo Credit: Maddox Gallery
David Yarrow was in attendance this year, unveiling several pieces from ‘Pride Rock,’ a major exhibition of his latest photographic works, exclusive to Maddox Gallery. For more than two decades the legendary British photographer put himself in harm’s way to capture immersive photography of the world’s most revered and endangered species. Yarrow discusses his “Wolves of Wall Street II piece and the inspiration behind it.
HL: What inspired your “Wolves of Wall Street” piece?
DY: The film, Scorsese’s framing, the dealing room scenes, my history of working in a dealing room for ten years—it was familiar territory to me. I wanted something that was visually chaotic which Scorsese created perfectly in the dealing room scenes.
Photo Credit: Maddox Gallery
HL: How did you prepare for the work? What was your process?
DY: We prepared for several months. We had to get the right models, we had to get Jordan Belfort’s agreement which was pivotal, we had to find a dealing room where we could bring a wolf inside. We also had to find the right ceilings—the ceilings were very important because the ceilings had to be a throwback to the late 80s when the film was set. We had to find those low ceilings with the strange ugly rectangular light. I’m not sure a ceiling has ever been more important in a photograph than it was in this photograph.
HL: What can people take away from your work? What’s the message you’re conveying?
DY: They should just have fun and they should be engaged. Sometimes romanticized, sometimes entertained, whatever the response, it should certainly be authentic to them—a response to something they haven’t seen before that is produced beautifully. I wanted the works to be coveted as they are all very limited and very rare.
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