Larry Gagosian Cindy Ord/VF25/Getty Images Documentary filmmaker Barry Avrich has turned his gaze on famed New York and Los Angeles art dealer Larry Gagosian for his next project.
But while some headlines have painted the unauthorized documentary, entitled Shadow Man: Inside the Secret World of Larry Gagosian, as a “cancellation” of Gagosian, Avrich said he aims to be balanced as he uncovers how Gagosian became arguably the most important art dealer for the past several decades. The 81-year-old owns several galleries across New York City and in Beverly Hills, London, Paris and more, and represents hundreds of the most-coveted artists, making him the go-to dealer for celebrities and Hollywood executives.
“Is it an exposé? Yes. Are there things in there, or comments and opinions that he won’t like? Sure. But it will be a very balanced biography of this person,” Avrich told The Hollywood Reporter. “There’ll be stuff he likes. There’ll be stuff that he detests. But that’s a documentary. I’m not doing a Michael Moore piece here.”
This will be Avrich’s third film about the art world after Made You Look, about an art forgery case and a Netflix film, Blurred Lines, which looked at the commercial forces in the art world, in addition to docs about producer Lew Wasserman and Vanity Fair columnist Dominick Dunne. Throughout the process of filming both art films, he was inspired to create this documentary.
“Larry’s name just kept coming up because you just can’t ignore it. When someone owns a lane, or invents a better mousetrap, whether it’s a Jeff Bezos or a Steve Jobs or an Elon Musk with Tesla, you just can’t ignore the sheer power and domination of an industry,” Avrich said. “And I’m fascinated by him. I’m fascinated that as the world changes constantly, that art continues to be this extraordinarily coveted asset for many different reasons, and Larry Gagosian has seemed to be somewhat Teflon and maintained this amazing control of the industry.”
While he again emphasizes that it is not meant to be a hit piece, Avrich said the documentary will examine how he’s been able to get a corner on the comparing it to “opening up a car dealership and having all of the greatest brands under one roof, but preventing those brands from being available to any other dealership. “
So far, Avrich said he has been fielding many emails and phone calls from people who want to participate in the documentary, and plans to include collectors, artists and former staff that have worked with him.
Avrich said he’s not looking for approval from Gagosian, who he has yet to speak with, but would welcome him to participate in the documentary.
A press representative for Gagosian did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Avrich and his team have completed their research and will soon be moving from pre-production into production, with plans to start filming in at the beginning of 2027, he said. He’s currently in conversations with two distributors, with plans to release in late 2027 or spring 2028 tied to a time “where I think the art world is watching,” he said.
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