COURTESY TWITTER
And the art startup talent shuffle continues…
ARTnews has learned that Andrew Goldstein will take over as editor-in-chief of artnet News, the online art market hub’s editorial wing. He succeeds Rozalia Jovanovic, who announced late last week that she would be stepping away from the company after more than a year at the helm of its news division.
“We are very excited for Andrew to be taking the helm at artnet News,” Jacob Pabst, CEO of artnet, said in a statement obtained by ARTnews. “With Andrew’s exceptional experience as both a journalist and leader in the world of art and fast-paced digital media, he is the perfect fit to further develop this key aspect of artnet and keep us on the cutting edge of a rapidly changing international landscape.”
Goldstein was most recently the editor-in-chief of Artspace, another art startup that built out a dedicated editorial operation. However, as ARTnews reported last month, Goldstein was laid off along with most of the editorial staff, indicating a shift in vision for the company and shaking up the art startup landscape.
Paddle8—another art startup that had made a heavy investment in an editorial team—made a similar pivot in Spring 2016 when it announced a spate of layoffs amid a merger with German art startup Auctionata. (That partnership was severed when Auctionata filed for insolvency last month, and Paddle8 sought an investor to buy back the company.)
“I am thrilled to join artnet at a pivotal moment for the art industry, during a year of extraordinary activity in the contemporary art world and seismic changes in the culture at large,” Goldstein said in the statement.
The change at the top of the masthead comes as something as a surprise. Jovanovic had been in the position for just a year, taking over when editor Benjamin Genocchio left to take over as director of The Armory Show. Before that, she served as Genocchio’s deputy.
When reached over the weekend by email, Jovanovic confirmed that she had left the company. When asked to explain her departure, she said, “In essence, the CEO of artnet and I have a different vision for how artnet News would move forward from here.”
Her last day is next Friday, with Goldstein taking over immediately after.