Meet the Hermes Gallery Girl

Photo: Courtesy of Hermes

Walking into the Hermès store on Madison Avenue is like walking into a bright orange shoebox (filled, of course, with some seriously stunning shoes). The first floor has the most delicious silk scarves, the second floor has clothing that define French-style, and the third floor has everything you could ever wish to decorate your home with.
Last night, attendees of a party thrown by Hermès got a peek at the fourth floor: A gallery space used only a few times a year, in this case to showcase a collection of 11 works by artist Sharon Harper.
The photographs were hand-selected by Cory Jacobs, the curator of the Gallery at Hermès. Sound like the chicest job ever? We thought so. Here, we learn more about the current exhibit on view at Hermès and what a day in the life of this gallery girl is like.
Related: Meet Hermès' Secret Weapon: Bali Barret
Tell us a little bit about the exhibit!

We just installed the Sharon Harper show, which is opening to the public today, Friday, September 19. Sharon is a fascinating artist with whom I am so thrilled to be collaborating. She is constantly trying to confound our expectations of time and space. Her works explores the intersection of technology and perception using the moon, stars, and sun as her subjects. The work also happens to be startlingly beautiful. It slows you down.

Photo: Courtesy of Hermes

We always love hearing about new female artists that art industry insiders love. In addition to Sharon Harper, is there anyone’s work that we should keep our eyes on?

I feel very proud that The Gallery at Hermès has an excellent track record in supporting female artists. Artists we have championed include Sharon Core, Martine Fougeron, Rinko Kawauchi, Martina Hoogland-Ivanow, Miranda Lichtenstein, and Victoria Sambunaris. They are all doing interesting things!

You should be on the look out for a new, knock-out monograph Victoria Sambunaris just published called Taxonomy of a Landscape. I showed a remarkable body of her work for the first show I curated here.

Related: Hermés Puts on One Hell of a Carvinal
What does a day at your job look like?

One of the most rewarding parts of my job is selecting the artists we exhibit and giving them a great platform to show their work. My selection is then approved by the Foundation in Paris and then we're off and running. So a big part of my job is staying up to date with the artists and what they are working on. I do this online and also visit artists' studios, galleries, museums, art fairs, and photography festivals. My job involves not only the selection of the artist and the work we show, but also the budgeting, production, press, etc.

What’s the best way to discover new art?

Of course the best way is to get out there and visit galleries and museums. But there are so many great avenues online from blogs, to sites like Artsy and Exhibition A.

Can you tell us a little bit about Hermès commitment to the arts?

Hermès has many galleries around the world like The Gallery at Hermès that exhibit contemporary art. Every year the curators converge in Paris for an annual meeting to present their work for the year and I am always amazed at how many truly talenteds international artists are supported by the Foundation.

In addition to mounting gallery shows, the Foundation also supports artists through residency programs and prizes. The Foundation also recently co-produced a major exhibition at the Centre Pompidou-Metz in France called Simple Shapes. I had the pleasure of seeing it this summer and I can report it is one of my favorite museum shows I've seen in recent memory. Worth the trip. It's up through May 1, 2015.

What have been some of the most memorable shows you’ve worked on since being at Hermès?

Like children, it's hard to pick just one!  I've really enjoyed each and every exhibition for different reasons. I feel very grateful I'm able to spend so much time getting to know each artist through the process of putting the shows together. It often spans a full year from start to finish.

http://www.elle.com/news/culture/hermes-gallery-curator-cory-jacobs-interview