The Art of the Deal is an Artist-curated exhibition of early works by well known gallerists who once sought their calling on the other side of the table as artists. Far from the cynical venture it might at first appear to be, this show presents the idea of creative production as an egalitarian venture open to all who would choose to embark on it, regardless of their vocation. April fools!

This is your opportunity to look behind the scenes at the seamy underbelly art-world celebrity. Ever wonder what all those rich art-dealers did before they ran their galleries? Some were interior decorators, a few were art-history majors, but most of them had a very different plan for their lives. Now is your chance to find out in a tell-all exhibition that answers the question “Whatever happened to…” in reverse!

Participating artists are Roland Augustine (Luhring Augustine), William Brady (ATM Gallery), Elizabeth Burke(Clementine), John Cheim (Cheim and Read), Burr Dodd (Brooklyn Fireproof), Derek Eller (Derek Eller Gallery), Zach Feuer (Zach Feuer Gallery), Jane Hait (Wallspace), Sean Horton (Sunday), David Kordansky (David Kordansky Gallery),Nick Lawrence (Freight + Volume), Philip Martin (Cherry and Martin), Sheri Pasquarella (SLP Art Culture Commerce), Jeff Poe (Blum and Poe), Andrea Pollan (Curator’s Office) Becky Smith (Bellwether), Fred Snitzer (Fredric Snitzer Gallery). Kelly Taxter (Taxter and Spengemann), Elisabeth Wingate (independent consultant), Mike Weiss (Mike Weiss Gallery) and Scott Zieher (ZieherSmith)

Curated by Justin Lieberman and Lumi Tan.