Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan has launched the Quinn Emanuel Arts Foundation, believed to be the first law firm foundation focused exclusively on the arts. Art advisor and podcast host Alexis Hyde serves as the foundation’s executive director, based in Los Angeles.
The foundation is an outgrowth of the firm’s artist-in-residence programme, which has supported emerging artists in its London, Los Angeles and New York offices since 2021. The programme has funded 21 artists through a four-month residency based in firm offices, providing each artist with a $5,000 monthly stipend and $1,500 for art materials. The firm acquires at least one piece from each artist after the residency for its permanent collection.
John Quinn, the firm’s founder and chairman, said: “During a time when national funding for the arts is increasingly precarious, we believe it’s more important than ever to uplift artists and provide meaningful support to creative ecosystems. The foundation reflects our belief in the transformative societal value of art and the power of philanthropy to fuel artistic innovation.”
He added that the foundation expands the role that law firms can play by investing in emerging artists and arts communities around the world. A long-time supporter of the arts, Quinn’s personal collection includes works by English sculptor Damien Hirst, German visual artist Gerhard Richter, American contemporary artist Aaron Fowler and American painter Jay Lynn Gomez, whose work addresses social justice.
In contrast to his collection, the foundation is dedicated to supporting emerging and mid-career artists, the type of individuals Hyde says must balance creating art with paying their rent.
He added: “We are committed to helping artists not just survive, but thrive. With this foundation, we aim to set a new standard for how the private sector – and especially the legal industry – can be a force for cultural good.”
Programme artists like Edgar Ramirez sold out his booth at NADA Miami and now exhibits internationally. Alumni Francisco Palomares’ work was acquired by the Cheech Marin Collection and featured in exhibits in Southern California. Other artists have exhibited their work at the Long Beach Museum of Art, the François Ghebaly gallery and art fairs including Felix, The Armory Show and Frieze.
Hyde joined the firm in 2020 to run the artist-in-residence programme and previously held roles at Doug Aitken’s studio and Richard Meier & Partners, and facilitated collaborations with major institutions like the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles. She met Quinn in 2015 when he founded the Museum of Broken Relationships in Los Angeles; she served as its director.
While many law firms have pro bono programmes, far fewer have established non-profit foundations. Quinn Emanuel believes none have established foundations dedicated solely to the arts. For example, Sidley Austin runs a special project for the arts as part of its larger pro bono programme, and firms including Jones Day, Venable and Nutter McClennan & Fish have foundations supporting a variety of charitable causes and community initiatives.
According to Hyde, the formation of the foundation is a way the firm makes its arts commitment permanent. “Solidifying our programme with a foundation makes it real to me, to our artists and to the art community,” she said. “It’s also a point of differentiation for us. I have to imagine that clients who have art disputes would want to work with a firm that has made a serious commitment to the art community.”
Quinn Emanuel’s art litigation practice has represented high-profile players in the arts world like the Andy Warhol Foundation and the Morgan Art Foundation. It defended Ann Freedman and Knoedler Gallery against claims for selling forged artworks by abstract expressionist masters, including Mark Rothko, Jackson Pollock and Robert Motherwell.
The foundation is funded by the firm and overseen by Quinn and a five-member board of firm partners that includes Luke Nikas, who serves as the co-chair of the art litigation and disputes practice. The firm did not disclose its financial investment.
As part of the foundation launch, the firm will hold an exhibition on 31 July at Frieze’s No. 9 Cork Street space in London, featuring current artists-in-residence.
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