Matthew Slotover
{{Short description|British publisher}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Matthew Slotover
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1968|12}}
| birth_place = London, United Kingdom
| occupation = Entrepreneur, publisher
| years_active =
| known_for = Co-founding art and media company Frieze
| notable_works =
| spouse = Emily King
}}
Matthew Slotover {{post-nominals|country=GBR|OBE}} (born 1968) is an English publisher and entrepreneur. He co-founded Frieze, a media and events company that has a focus on the art scene and that also produces the annual Frieze Art Fair. in 2021 he co-founded [http://www.toklaslondon.com Toklas] restaurant, London, and in 2022 he opened [http://www.fortroadhotel.com Fort Road Hotel], Margate.
Early life
Slotover was born in London and grew up in South Kensington. He attended St Paul's School, London and then studied Psychology at Oxford University.{{Cite web|title=Fantastic Man 15 - Matthew Slotover|url=https://www.bruil.info/product/fantastic-man-15-matthew-slotover/|access-date=2021-05-10|website=Bruil & van de Staaij|language=en-GB}}
His paternal family (originally the Zlotovers) emigrated from Lithuania in the 1930s and settled in Newcastle.{{Cite web|date=2009-10-02|title=All the fun of the fair|url=http://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2009/oct/03/aida-edemariam-interview-frieze-duo|access-date=2021-05-10|website=the Guardian|language=en}} Slotover's father, Robert Slotover manages classical musicians including the composer Sir Harrison Birtwistle; his mother Jill Slotover is a children's book editor. Matthew's maternal grandfather, Richard Kravitz was an American magazine publisher who introduced Esquire and DC Comics to the UK.http://www.thefreelibrary.com/THE+FAIR+GAME%3B+In+two+weeks,+the+key+players+in+the+contemporary+art...-a0137282339 {{dead link|date=May 2021}}
He first became interested in contemporary art after visiting the YBA art exhibition Modern Medicine, in 1990.{{cite web|author=Aida Edemariam|author-link=Aida Edemariam|date=3 October 2009|title=All the fun of the fair|url=https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/2009/oct/03/aida-edemariam-interview-frieze-duo|work=The Guardian}}
Life and career
File:Preparing for Frieze Art Fair, Regents Park (6) - geograph.org.uk - 1524041.jpg in early October 2009 for the Frieze Art Fair]]
Slotover launched Frieze in June 1991 with Tom Gidley as co-editor. The pilot issue featured the first ever magazine interview with Damien Hirst,{{citation needed|date=February 2018}} with a detail of a Hirst butterfly painting on the cover. Amanda Sharp joined Frieze in July 1991. In 1999, he founded Counter Editions, a low-cost, high-volume edition company, with Carl Freedman and Neville Wakefield.{{citation needed|date=February 2018}}
Slotover is chair of Margate's [https://turnercontemporary.org/about/our-staff-and-trustees/ Turner Contemporary], and serves on the board of [https://www.sadlerswells.com/about-us/our-people/board-of-trustees/ Sadlers Wells]. In 2021 with Caius Pawson he co-founded [https://www.murmur.earth Murmur], a charity to combat the climate crisis via the arts.
He was a judge on the Turner Prize in 2000.{{Cite web |last=Haveron-Jones |first=Alexander |date=2021-06-06 |title=In Conversation with Matthew Slotover |url=https://cherwell.org/2021/06/06/in-conversation-with-matthew-slotover/ |access-date=2024-02-01 |website=Cherwell |language=en-GB}} And in 1993, he curated a section of the Aperto at the Venice Biennale, which included Damien Hirst, Mat Collishaw and Rirkrit Tiravanija.{{citation needed|date=February 2018}}
Through Frieze, Slotover published the books: What the Butler Saw - The Selected Writings of Stuart Morgan; All Tomorrow's Parties - Photographs of Andy Warhol’s Factory, by Billy Name; and Designed by Peter Saville, a retrospective of Saville's graphic design.
In 2009, Slotover received an honorary degree from University of the Arts London.{{cite web |url=http://www.arts.ac.uk/newsevents/3066/frieze-frame/ |title=Frieze frame |access-date=2010-08-21 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120721030602/http://www.arts.ac.uk/newsevents/3066/frieze-frame/ |archive-date=21 July 2012 |df=dmy-all }}{{cite web |url=http://www.arts.ac.uk/news/52769.htm |title=University of the Arts London - University of the Arts London Honorary Awards 14 May 2009 |access-date=2010-08-21 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20091005232107/http://www.arts.ac.uk/news/52769.htm |archive-date=5 October 2009 |df=dmy-all }}
In 2010, Slotover debated whether "art fairs are about money" with Louisa Buck, Matthew Collings, and Jasper Joffe for the motion and against the motion Norman Rosenthal, Richard Wentworth, Matthew Slotover.{{cite web|url=http://magazine.saatchionline.com/articles/debate-art-fairs-are-about-money-not-art |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130104193151/http://magazine.saatchionline.com/articles/debate-art-fairs-are-about-money-not-art |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-01-04 |title=Debate: Art Fairs Are About Money Not Art }} Joffe claims that his criticisms of Frieze Art Fair led to his work being banned from the fair in 2010. Frieze replied that Resonance FM had hung a number of works, including Joffe's, against their agreement with the fair, and that to ensure a high quality level, artworks in the fair are included only via the galleries in the fair who are selected by the selection committee.{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/diary/diary-joffes-jokey-picture-falls-flat-with-frieze-2105072.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220512/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/diary/diary-joffes-jokey-picture-falls-flat-with-frieze-2105072.html |archive-date=12 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Diary: Joffe's jokey picture falls flat with Frieze|work=The Independent|date=12 October 2010}}
In 2010, Slotover and Sharp were placed jointly at number 41 in the ArtReview "Power 100", a list of influential people in fine arts.{{cite web|url=http://www.artreview100.com/people/691/|title=Power 100 / Art Review |publisher=Art Review |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110320132630/http://www.artreview100.com/people/691/ |archive-date=March 20, 2011 |year=2011 }}
In May 2011, Slotover and Sharp announced the launch of two new art fairs - Frieze New York, and Frieze Masters.{{cite web |title=From Frieze to triptych |url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/e2308e16-8266-11e0-8c49-00144feabdc0.html |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/aAD1j |archive-date=11 December 2022 |work=Financial Times}}{{cite web |author=Jonathan Jones |date=20 May 2011 |title=New Masters fair should end the classic art Frieze-out |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/jonathanjonesblog/2011/may/20/frieze-masters-art-fair |work=The Guardian}} Frieze Los Angeles was launched in 2019, followed by Frieze Seoul in 2021. Frieze is [https://news.artnet.com/market/william-morris-endeavor-frieze-stake-475892 now owned] by Endeavor.
Slotover and Sharp were both appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2012 New Year Honours for services to the visual arts.{{London Gazette |issue=60009 |date=31 December 2011 |page=12 |supp=y}}
In 2021 he co-founded [http://www.toklaslondon.com Toklas] restaurant, London, with Frieze co-founder Amanda Sharp.
In 2022 he opened [http://www.fortroadhotel.com Fort Road Hotel], Margate with Gabriel Chipperfield and Tom Gidley.
Personal life
Slotover is married to design historian Emily King.
In April 2017, the couple unsuccessfully applied for planning permission to build a townhouse just off Barnsbury Square in Islington, North London. They would have had to make a £50,000 contribution to affordable housing in the borough, if the plans had been approved, but the application was rejected on the grounds that the plans constituted an under-use of the land, and over concerns regarding the destruction of nearby trees.{{Cite web|title=Neighbours get preview of couple's townhouse plan|url=http://camdennewjournal.com/article/neighbours-get-preview-of-couples-townhouse-plan|access-date=2021-05-10|website=Camden New Journal|language=en-gb}}{{Cite web|title=Couple's bid to build dream home is dashed|url=http://islingtontribune.com/article/couples-bid-to-build-dream-home-is-dashed|access-date=2021-05-10|website=Islington Tribune|language=en-gb}} In 2019 the planning rejection was overturned on appeal.
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Young British Artists|state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}
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Category:Publishers (people) from London