The Reluctant GALLERIST
Town & Country|April 2022
How a rare book seller became an under-the-radar art world powerhouse.
KATYA KAZAKINA
The Reluctant GALLERIST

Harper Levine never expected this. Now 54, he has spent most of his professional life as a rare book seller, building a business in St. Paul, Minnesota, and, since 2010, the Hamptons. Over the years artists such as Richard Prince and Eddie Martinez would come in to get advice on building their libraries or to buy books on obscure Japanese photography or Beat literature. Some became his friends.

It was at their urging that Levine began staging exhibitions at Harper’s Books, in East Hampton. In 2014, when an artist canceled, he texted Prince, asking for suggestions to fill the spot. “Figgis,” came the reply. Prince had recently discovered Genieve Figgis on Twitter and fallen for her feathery, macabre paintings. Levine took Prince’s advice, and the show sold out. “That was when I started to really think that a career as a gallerist was possible,” Levine says.

This story is from the April 2022 edition of Town & Country.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the April 2022 edition of Town & Country.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM TOWN & COUNTRYView All
As If We Never Said GOOD BYE
Town & Country US

As If We Never Said GOOD BYE

A designer restores a historic home by an the glory it enjoyed during its classic Hollywood heyday.

time-read
2 mins  |
March 2024
SIR Mix-a-Lot
Town & Country US

SIR Mix-a-Lot

Look, Muffy, our old clothes are back! A generation consumed with nostalgia rediscovers and reshuffles trad style their way. The new official preppy dress code is here, and one pony is riding high.

time-read
5 mins  |
March 2024
Les Robes Dangereuses
Town & Country US

Les Robes Dangereuses

In Revolution-era Paris, three radically chic media stars swept away centuries of strictures about what women should wear and how they should live. A new book unveils the other French Revolution.

time-read
10+ mins  |
March 2024
A Nose DIVIDED
Town & Country US

A Nose DIVIDED

Legends are never made by playing it safe.

time-read
3 mins  |
March 2024
Friends of JUDY
Town & Country US

Friends of JUDY

For her fans of 30 years, Judy Geib is a jeweler's jeweler. For young designers, she's something rarer: a role model.

time-read
3 mins  |
March 2024
Anatomy of a Classic
Town & Country US

Anatomy of a Classic

A 63-year-old icon just got a face-lift. Can you tell?

time-read
1 min  |
March 2024
This Old Thing? T&C Reviews: Barn Jackets
Town & Country US

This Old Thing? T&C Reviews: Barn Jackets

The rags-to-riches tale of how a humble workingman's staple got its high fashion glow-up.

time-read
2 mins  |
March 2024
Nellie Oleson, MODERN MUSE
Town & Country US

Nellie Oleson, MODERN MUSE

The kids are in couture and the grown-ups are in oversize bows. When did things get so Freaky Friday?

time-read
3 mins  |
March 2024
Loromania!
Town & Country US

Loromania!

A standard-bearer of quiet luxury finds itself unexpectedly tap dancing in the spotlight, embraced by American hypebeasts, Gstaad Guy, and Kendall Roy. Back in Milan, it's business as usual. There are 100 years to toast.

time-read
4 mins  |
March 2024
Steal the Show
Town & Country US

Steal the Show

How Broadway fell in love with celebrity producers.

time-read
2 mins  |
March 2024