Louise Blouin Media

Louise Blouin Media
Private
Industry Publishing
Founded 2003
Founder Louise Blouin (chairman)
Website louiseblouinmedia.com

Louise Blouin Media is an art magazine and book publishing company based in New York. It was founded by Louise Blouin.[1] It publishes magazine titles including Art+Auction, Gallery Guide and Modern Painters. It owns Somogy, a French art book publisher and databases Art Sales Index and Gordon's.[2]

History

LTB Holding Ltd. was set up in 2001 by Louise Blouin.[3] Louise Blouin Media was started in 2003.[4] A website, artinfo.com, was launched in 2005,[2][5] and then later changed to blouinartinfo.com. It has editions in Australia, Canada, China, Germany, Hong Kong, Brazil, India, Russia and the UK.[6][7] The company acquired or started the Art & Auction, Gallery Guide, Museums, Culture+Travel and Modern Painters magazine titles.

In 2006 the company closed Spoon magazine, which it had recently bought.[8] In 2008, two years after it was started, Culture+Travel was closed down.[8]

Former executives and contributors at Louise Blouin Media include: Ben Crawford;[2] former Conde Nast editorial director James Truman, who was made CEO and resigned in 2006; and James Conley, group chief financial officer, who resigned a week later.[9] Former Village Voice film critic J. Hoberman began writing for blouinartinfo in 2012.[10]

In March 2012, Louise Blouin Media showcased its blouinartinfo.com daily newspaper at the 2013 Armory Show in New York City.[11]

In April 2012, Louise Blouin Media announced the launch of the Brazilian edition of the Blouin Artinfo website.[6] After launching the ninth international version of the website, the company hired former Yahoo executive Fernando Hugo Pinheiro to lead the project. According to Louise Blouin, the project represented an opportunity to expand Louise Blouin Media’s business reach internationally and grow its presence in South America.

In December 2012, Louise Blouin Media launched the India portal of its website, blouinartinfo.com.[12]

Controversies

In December 2011, Louise Blouin Media was sued for defamation in United States district court for a September 16, 2011 article written by Noah Charney on blouinartinfo.com in which Charney stated that a forensic art expert "was part of a family of art forgers, and that he had been planting the forensic evidence into the questionable works himself."[13]

In 2010, an article in the New York Post noted controversy over payments to freelance writers for the arts publications of Blouin's company. One group, WAAANKAA (Writers Angry At Artinfo Not Kidding Around Anymore), demanded back payments of $18,000.[14] In December 2013, Artinfo.com abruptly laid off 26 international employees. The New York Observer posted a 1,000-word internal email from Louise Blouin to staff explaining that the move was part of a new direction in which, "One person doing all and not good we need less of one but many more."[15] In February 2014, the New York Post reported that two former executives were suing Blouin for $250,000 in pay and commissions.[16]

Response

In a response to the New York Observer's post, the President of Louise Blouin Media, Ben Hartley, said that "many of the alleged facts in the story were incorrect."[17][18] Per the response from the President, New York Observer later updated the post to reflect Hartley’s contention.[17]

References

  1. ↑ Zena Olijnyk (December 5–25, 2005), Louise Blouin MacBain — The Art-World Aficionado, Canadian Business Magazine, Archived from the original on March 18, 2006. Archived March 18, 2006.
  2. 1 2 3 Anthony Haden-Guest (October 29, 2005), War of Vision on the Web (PDF), FT, Archived from the original on December 8, 2010 Archived December 8, 2010.
  3. ↑ "Louise Blouin MacBain — The Art-World Aficionado - Canadian Business - Your Source For Business News". Retrieved August 17, 2015.
  4. ↑ "AP Alternative Assets LP". Reuters. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
  5. ↑ Linda Sandler (March 27, 2006), Art Publisher MacBain Revamps Magazines, Focuses on New York, Bloomberg, retrieved August 2013
  6. 1 2 Dan Duray (April 13, 2012).Louise Blouin Announces Blouin Artinfo Brazil. Gallerist. Retrieved August 2013.
  7. ↑ [s.n.] (November 14, 2012). Global arts and culture conglomerate opens India chapter. The Times of India. Retrieved August 2013.
  8. 1 2 Joe Pompeo ([n.d.]). An Artful Dodger. DuJour. Accessed August 2015.
  9. ↑ Keith Kelly (October 18, 2006), Blouin in the Wind: CFO Follows CEO Out Artsy LTB Media's Door, NY Post, retrieved August 2013
  10. ↑ Marc Graser (February 17, 2012). Ex-Voice critic Hoberman lands gig. Variety. Retrieved August 2013.
  11. ↑ "Louise Blouin Media presents the blouinartinfo.com daily edition". Absolute Arts.
  12. ↑ "The art of the matter:Louise Blouin". Business Standard.
  13. ↑ Adam Klasfeld (December 12, 2011). "Gawker Brought Into New Yorker Fracas". Courthouse News Service. Retrieved August 2013.
  14. ↑ Keith J. Kelly (July 16, 2010). Didn’t get paid by Louise Blouin? Get in line. New York Post. Accessed December 2013.
  15. ↑ Dan Duray (December 13, 2013) Blouin Media, Publisher of Art+Auction and Modern Painters, Terminates Most International Freelance Contracts. New York: observer.com. Accessed April 2015.
  16. ↑ Keith J. Kelly (February 14, 2014) Former execs sue Blouin Media. New York Post.
  17. 1 2 Stoeffel, Kat (May 10, 2011). "Will a Paywall Help Keep the Lights on at Louise Blouin Media?". New York Observer. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
  18. ↑ Genocchio, Benjamin (October 5, 2011). "New York Observer's Desperate LBM Smear Misfires And Is Full of Errors". Retrieved August 18, 2015.
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