Anthony d'Offay announces his retirement

Q. Who

A. D'Offay's a big wheel in the world of London's private art galleries. Based around New Bond Street and Cork Street in Mayfair, these galleries - including the Waddington Galleries and the Redfern Gallery - are the centre of the London art world, and being represented by one of these galleries is what it takes to make a British-based artist an international success.

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Q. What's his story

A. D'Offay founded his gallery 36 years ago in Dering Street, London W1, just off New Bond Street, specialising initially in early 20th-century avant-garde artists and moving into the international avant-garde market. He soon built his business up into one of the most important galleries in London, and it now boasts an annual turnover in excess of �20 million.

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When he started, many gallery owners and dealers retained an old-fashioned dilettante approach to their businesses; d'Offay was much more professional, and he set a new standard for the rest of the profession.

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This year he has had 11 of his artists showing at the prestigious Venice Biennale and another 3 at the Edinburgh Festival, all of which confirms his position as the premier dealer in London.

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Q. Which artists has he been associated with

A. He is known for bringing star exhibitions to his relatively small gallery through friendships with key artists in early stages in their careers, and over the years his roster has been consistently impressive. Ron Mueck, Howard Hodgkin, Anselm Kiefer, Mark Rothko, Andy Warhol, Bill Viola - whose recent exhibition at d'Offay's gallery had a staggering 50,000 visitors - Cy Twomby and Rachel Whiteread - who is responsible for the new monument in Trafalgar Square, London, funded by d'Offay - have all been through his doors.

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As have radical duo Gilbert and George, although, after a 20-year association, they left him for another dealer, suggesting he was only interested in money.

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Q. Why is he retiring if everything's going so well

A. D'Offay has said: 'There is never a good time to announce one's retirement but I would rather step down when the gallery is at its height and I feel that now is the right moment.' Some have suggested the amount of work he put in over the Venice Biennale and Edinburgh have left him exhausted. It has also been put forward that he's seen the writing on the wall for the current system and that the work now done by dealers in private galleries will be subsumed by the large auction houses. Whatever it is, he's getting out while the going is good.

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Q. Why is this a significant move

A. Because he recently announced plans to expand his galleries and took on new, highly qualified staff and he's now turned around and decided to not only retire but close his thriving business. For someone who has been so dominant in - and who transformed - the rather esoteric world of modern-art dealers in London to remove themselves suddenly, will leave a huge hole. It may also signify that the pre-eminence of Cork Street may soon be over.

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Check out the D'Offay Gallery website at http://www.doffay.com/

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By Simon Smith