In today’s increasingly interconnected art ecosystem, Sophia Penske has carved out a unique position at the crossroads of advising, exhibition-making, and artist advocacy. Through her role at Gagosian Art Advisory and her independent platform, Penske Projects, she has developed a practice that moves fluidly between supporting emerging talent and navigating the complexities of the blue-chip market.
Rather than subscribing to traditional art-world categories, Penske has built her career around relationships, intuition, and a commitment to creating opportunities for artists she genuinely believes in. Her approach reflects a broader shift in the contemporary art landscape, where advisors, curators, collectors, and cultural entrepreneurs are increasingly collaborating across disciplines and markets.
Whitewall spoke with Penske about the evolving role of the advisor, the importance of authenticity in the art world, and why she sees exciting possibilities at the intersection of art, fashion, and culture.
Sophia Penske on Following Instinct
Courtesy of Sophia Penske.
Courtesy of Sophia Penske.
WHITEWALL: As both an independent curator and an art dealer working at Gagosian Advisory, how do you navigate the balance between market dynamics and personal intuition when supporting artists today?
SOPHIA PENSKE: I’d actually push back a little on the word “curator”—I do not have the academic training or background to be considered a curator, and that has never really been my identity. The artists I choose for exhibits are ones in which I have genuine belief in them and their practice. I’m close to them, I care about their trajectories, and that personal conviction is always the starting point. The market piece follows from that, not the other way around in regards to Penske Projects exhibits.
At Gagosian Art Advisory, I advise on emerging artists in addition to blue-chip, so that same instinct carries across both worlds. That said, within the blue-chip market there’s real data to lean on, which does provide a greater sense of security from an investment standpoint. I always say that collecting emerging art is like investing with a venture capital firm—it is high risk, high potential reward, and you’re betting on people as much as product, while blue-chip is more comparable to private equity: more established, more predictable, but still requiring expertise to navigate successfully.
“The artists I choose for exhibits are ones in which I have genuine belief in them and their practice,”
-Sophia Penske.
WW: You’ve developed a career that moves fluidly between advising, exhibition-making, and relationship-building. What originally attracted you to this more hybrid role within the contemporary art world?
SP: I’ve never been very good at staying in one lane—which has honestly served me quite well so far in the art world. I started out working in New York for a gallery and then an art dealer after college, and slowly moved my way into this hybrid space in Los Angeles, which has consistently given me the freedom to actually move things forward for artists that I believe in, without being constrained by a roster.
Penske Projects grew out of that impulse. I wanted to create situations where emerging artists could reach new audiences on their own terms, without being tied down to one program. I’ve been fortunate to be involved in all stages of an artist’s journey—from creation to exhibition—which has allowed me to occupy a collaborative position that I find incredibly rewarding.
The art world can be quite segmented, and I’ve always been most interested in the intersections: the relationships between advisors and collectors, galleries and artists, and ultimately between a work and its future owner. Joining Gagosian Art Advisory in 2023 allowed me to deepen my understanding of the secondary market while continuing to independently champion younger artists through Penske Projects.
WW: Working independently often requires a strong personal point of view. What kinds of artists, practices, or conversations are you most drawn to at the moment?
SP: It doesn’t have to be loud or conceptually heavy. In fact, I’m often more interested in work that possesses a kind of quiet confidence. Right now I’m particularly excited by artists who have a strong and recognizable visual identity, especially within contemporary figurative painting.
I’ve also become increasingly interested in the space where art and fashion intersect. There’s a genuine conversation happening there that feels meaningful and enduring rather than trend-driven. The pop-up model I use through Penske Projects gives me the flexibility to explore those intersections in ways that a traditional gallery structure often cannot.
Building Relationships
Courtesy of Aj Pineda, Tan Mu and Ruttkowski.
WW: In your experience, what makes a meaningful collaboration between a curator and a gallery, particularly at a scale like Gagosian?
SP: At Gagosian, I work within Gagosian Art Advisory, which operates independently from the gallery itself. But from what I’ve observed, successful collaborations are built on trust and a shared understanding of what everyone is trying to achieve for the artist.
For Penske Projects, our recent exhibition in Paris with Ruttkowski;68 was a great example of that dynamic. We enjoy collaborating with galleries because it gives us the opportunity to engage deeply with the artists they represent while creating new dialogues through the artists we bring into the conversation.
Each partnership allows us to reach different audiences, which is essential. We’ve also collaborated with Ketabi Bourdet and Phillips in the past, and we’re currently exploring future projects that involve the world of classic cars—another area where culture, design, and collecting naturally overlap.
WW: The role of the curator has evolved significantly over the past decade. Do you see today’s independent curators as cultural storytellers, market translators, tastemakers, or something entirely different?
SP: I think independent curators today operate almost as creative directors, constructing narratives and environments through a highly personal lens. The role has become increasingly vision-driven, where curating is less about institutional authority and more about building a distinct point of view.
Creating Opportunities Beyond the Traditional Gallery Model
Courtesy of Sophia Penske.
Courtesy of Sophia Penske.
WW: You work across artists, collectors, institutions, and galleries. How do you maintain trust and authenticity while operating within so many different layers of the art ecosystem?
SP: Working across artists, collectors, galleries, and institutions requires understanding that each operates with different priorities and sensitivities. Authenticity comes from approaching every relationship with transparency, consistency, and respect.
Over time, I’ve learned to recognize the difference between someone performing a role and someone genuinely showing up. I try to be useful to whoever I’m working with whether that’s an artist seeking a platform, a collector looking for guidance, or a gallery pursuing a placement. The common thread is that I only invest my energy in artists, people, and projects that I truly believe in.
“I’m interested in finding unexpected contexts and collaborators,”
-Sophia Penske.
WW: Looking ahead, what kinds of projects or conversations are you most interested in developing?
SP: I love change, and I’m constantly looking for new ways to synthesize multiple disciplines. The conversations happening between art and fashion, as well as art and the classic-car world, are areas where I’m spending a great deal of energy because I think there’s genuine cultural potential there.
More broadly, I want to continue expanding and refining the pop-up model. I’m interested in finding unexpected contexts and collaborators, much like what happened with our recent Paris exhibition with Ruttkowski;68. The traditional gallery format is just one possibility. What excites me most is creating something more spontaneous, more site-specific, and more responsive to a particular moment—bringing together multiple artists in ways that feel fresh and meaningful.
The Future of Collecting and Contemporary Art
Courtesy of Sophia Penske.
For Sophia Penske, the future of the art world lies in embracing fluidity rather than fixed definitions. Whether advising collectors, championing emerging artists, or developing innovative exhibition formats through Penske Projects, her work is guided by a belief in the power of relationships and personal conviction.
At a moment when the boundaries between art, fashion, design, and culture continue to blur, Penske represents a new generation of art-world professionals who are less concerned with traditional roles than with creating meaningful connections. Through interdisciplinary collaborations, entrepreneurial thinking, and a commitment to supporting artists she believes in, she is helping shape a more dynamic and interconnected future for contemporary art.
