Press Release: Ramsay Fairs announces new Artistic Director - Lee Cavaliere to lead VOLTA Art Fairs with a curatorial focus
July 13: Curator and contemporary art specialist Lee Cavaliere will lead VOLTA art fairs beginning July 2023. Applying a clear vision, the new Artistic Director will align the fair’s positioning with developments of a rapidly changing art market.
Image by Oscar May
Lee Cavaliere is an accomplished arts professional and expert in contemporary art, with experience in both the institutional and gallery sector. After working with the Tate’s Collection displays, Cavaliere employed his expertise in the commercial market, delivering contemporary exhibitions at Max Wigram Gallery and the Fine Art Society on Bond Street, London.
As Head of Sales at the London Art Fair Cavaliere applied an international focus in his curation of galleries that he carried forward in pursuit of independent curatorial initiatives. Notable curatorial work includes Cat Street Gallery’s solo presentation of Jacky Tsai at Art Central Hong Kong, One IFC in Kuala Lumpa, (both 2016); We Must Cultivate Our Garden in Margate, UK that featured 17 Turner Prize artists including Tracey Emin, Jeremy Deller and Damien Hirst; Collectible, Brussels (both 2019) and most recently (2022) touring the Atos Art Exhibition that featured Andy Warhol, John Giorno and Misha Milovanovich to Paris, London, Munich and Chicago.
Cavaliere founded and directed VOMA, the world's first online art museum, is founder of the arts education charity The Sixteen Trust, and works with numerous charitable, community, and NGO projects internationally. With this intention, Cavaliere is committed to spotlighting new artistic perspectives, emphasizing access for galleries to the emerging markets and discovery for both existing and aspiring collectors seeking meaningful acquisitions.
The future at VOLTA: cutting-edge curation, an international focus, and a year-round program
For VOLTA, Cavaliere’s focus lies in furthering the fair’s commitment to cutting-edge curation. Whilst building relationships with VOLTAs strong family of existing galleries, he aims to introduce a fellowship program encouraging new galleries to curate presentations that boldly present the unique perspective of their artists to the emerging market. An advisory committee will ensure selection of the most innovative galleries from all over the world, with a focus on fast-growing markets both within and beyond the traditional art world capitals.
Having developed the London Art Fairs strong VIP program, Cavaliere aims to bolster VOLTA’s relationship with VIP collectors and introduce programming that encourages continued stewardship and involvement beyond fair week. This includes a year-round program offering valued collectors behind-the-scenes access to some of art world’s most innovative voices from across the globe.
Lee Cavaliere emphasizes:
“We are living in a different world than just a few years ago. People are more discerning and mindful of engaging with socially conscious art. Like the wider arts industries, VOLTA needs to transform to align with the future and provide more access to emerging and diverse artistic voices. This unique fair has always been about connecting people with the unexpected. I’d like our collectors and galleries to feel more personally connected to us and our future curation. I look forward to pushing the boundaries of what has been seen at VOLTA before.”
Bringing the ethos “Discover. Connect. Collect.” to a new level.
In an ever-changing art market, Ramsay Fairs has developed into one of the biggest art fair companies in the world. With the Affordable Art Fairs, British Art Fair, and VOLTA in its portfolio, Ramsay Fairs has earned a global reputation for hosting art fairs across the emerging and middle market with a mission to cultivate a collectorship that values access and discovery. VOLTA is an integral part of the Ramsay Fairs family, having established itself as a key satellite fair for Art Basel in Switzerland, formerly the prestigious Armory Show and, most recently, for Frieze in New York.
VOLTA has an almost 20-year legacy as a forum for collectors to acquire preeminent talent from an international cohort of galleries, some of whom, may otherwise lack the platform to exhibit in the art world’s major capitals. At a crucial time, when art collectors are looking for value in the emerging markets more than ever, VOLTAs retains its position as a place to collect contemporary artists on the cusp discovery.
Will Ramsay, Founder and CEO of Ramsay Fairs:
“We are delighted to welcome Cavaliere as the new artistic director for VOLTA. As VOLTA has continued to distinguish itself within the Ramsay Fairs family, it is time for someone with Cavaliere’s vision to progress the fair’s unique position and push the boundaries of what a mid-market art fair can be. Applying his experience across the Tate, Max Wigram, London Art Fair, as an independent curator and beyond, Cavaliere is poised to reinvigorate the fair’s international program and take VOLTA into its exciting future.”
About VOLTA Art Fairs
VOLTA Art Fair supports galleries in staging ambitious solo and group presentations, refining the experience to its essential elements: the artists and their work. This focus on compelling visual statements by up-and-coming and established artists cultivates a vibrant and approachable environment of discovery for the engaged collector. VOLTA debuted in Basel in 2005 aimed as a platform for ambitious international galleries to participate in the art markets’ major cities. VOLTA’s New York fair followed in 2008.
Additional information about VOLTA Art Fair can be found in our digital press kit and at www.voltaartfairs.com.
Follow @voltaartfairs on Instagram for updates.
About Ramsay Fairs
Ramsay Fairs is one of the biggest art fair organisers globally, running 25 fairs a year with over ¼ million visitors. Through a portfolio of art fairs that includes Affordable Art Fair, VOLTA and British Art Fair, Ramsay Fairs aims to inspire people to collect and enjoy art at every level.
Founded in 1999, the lively and accessible Affordable Art Fairs, now located in 14 cities worldwide have welcomed over 3 million visitors and had art sales of more than £455 million over the last two decades.
VOLTA Fairs joined the Ramsay Fairs’ portfolio in 2019. The long-running fair, which takes place annually in New York during Frieze or Amory and in Basel as a satellite of Art Basel, is known for its focus on international art and compelling visual statements by up-and-coming and established artists. It has cemented itself as the place for discovery for the discerning collector.
In 2022, Ramsay Fairs acquired the well-established and acclaimed British Art Fair. Held in the elegant rooms of the Saatchi Gallery every autumn, the fair features the very best in Modern and Contemporary British Art.
Contact VOLTA Art Fair: press@voltashow.com