Irene Kim, who for the last three years was the global head of VIP relations for Art Basel, has left the fair to join Chanel as head of the luxury brand’s US arts and culture division, according to a post on LinkedIn. Kim is the first person to hold the position.
Before heading up the Art Basel’s VIP program, Kim worked for six years as head of the regional US VIP program. Prior to that, she ran the VIP program at the Armory Show in New York.
Her departure marks the second high-profile personnel loss for Art Basel in less than a month. In mid-January, Dunja Gottweis, who formerly worked as Art Basel’s global head of gallery relations, was named director of Art Dubai. Additionally, Alexie Glass-Kantor, who since 2015 had curated the Encounters section at Art Basel Hong Kong, was hired for the new position of executive director of curatorial operations for Art Dubai’s parent company, Art Dubai Group. In August 2024 she said this year’s edition of Art Basel Hong Kong will be her last.
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Chanel declined to comment on its new hire. A spokesperson for Art Basel told ARTnews that while Kim’s replacement has not yet been appointed, the move will not impact the upcoming edition of the fair in Basel, Switzerland. “We have a large and experienced VIP team who work with our network of VIP representatives across key markets and fair leadership to serve our global VIP community,” the spokesperson said.
Earlier this year, the Chanel Culture Fund announced a three-year partnership with the Hamburger Bahnhof in Berlin, establishing what will now be known as the Chanel Commission, an annual initiative designed to facilitate large-scale, innovative art installations.
The inaugural commission, debuting on May 1 during Berlin Gallery Weekend, will be done by the Berlin-based artist Klára Hosnedlová.
Update, 2/4/25, 3:35 p.m.: This story has been updated to include a statement from Art Basel.
