US mega-dealer Larry Gagosian is cementing his position in Switzerland and expanding his reach in Zurich with the appointment of Andreas Rumbler to the role of the gallery’s director in Switzerland. Rumbler, who will be based in Zurich, joins Gagosian following an almost three-decade-long career at Christie’s, where he was chairman of Switzerland for nearly ten years before partnering with Lévy Gorvy and then operating as an independent dealer in Zurich.
Joining Gagosian this summer, Rumbler will oversee operations and initiatives across the gallery’s three existing Swiss locations. Gagosian opened his first Swiss gallery in Geneva in 2010, opening further spaces in Basel in 2019 and Gstaad in 2022.
According to Andrew Fabricant, Gagosian’s chief operating officer, Rumbler’s appointment will “unite our current Swiss galleries under a common vision”. Rumbler says there are no immediate plans to open a gallery in Zurich. His aim is to grow the Swiss market, which, he says, does not currently operate as a whole. “Is there such a thing as a Swiss market? I don’t know. There’s a strong market in several places in Switzerland, but I wouldn’t call it a Swiss market.”
He notes that “many people of calibre” convene in Switzerland. “They are individuals who love to do business in Switzerland; often they love to buy art in Switzerland and some of them have moved to Switzerland. So it makes perfect sense to bring more art to them.”
A favourable business climate, including low tax rates and strong privacy laws, makes Switzerland an attractive place to settle. In the wake of Brexit, Switzerland is also an increasingly attractive trade partner for the UK. According to British government figures, trade between the two countries rose 33% between 2021 and 2022. Works of art were the third most exported good from the UK to Switzerland in 2022, accounting for £654.1m or 3.5% of exports.