New York Times Art Critic Genocchio Joins Lousie Blouin Media

New York, NY - March 16, 2010 - Louise Blouin, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Louise Blouin Media announces the appointment of Benjamin Genocchio, Vice President of Editorial, Louise Blouin Media and Editor in Chief, Art+Auction.

"We are delighted to have Benjamin lead our talented team of writers and editors around the world," comments Ms. Blouin. “As someone who has lived in numerous cities in Asia, the Americas and elsewhere, speaks and writes in Spanish fluently and is a published expert on Latin American, Asian and European art, Benjamin perfectly embodies the company’s goal of taking culture beyond borders. With a PhD in Art History and a track record of covering the arts around the world, Benjamin is that rare individual who combines academic rigor and theory with on the ground reporting,” Ms. Blouin continued.

Mr. Genocchio has been a distinguished figure in the art world for over two decades, working as a writer and editor for some of the world’s leading newspapers and magazines and serving most recently as an art and culture critic for The New York Times for eight years. Mr. Genocchio will bring strong, international editorial direction to the Louise Blouin Media print and online publications. “Art+Auction and Modern Painters are two of the art world's most respected media brands, and it is a great honor to be entrusted with their future editorial direction. I will strive to maintain the high standards for which they are known. I am also excited about the growth potential for our sister website ARTINFO.com, one of the world's most trafficked art media sites," Mr. Genocchio continued.

Prior to his position at The New York Times, Mr. Genocchio was the chief art critic and the national arts correspondent for The Australian, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation and Australia’s leading daily quality broadsheet newspaper. In this position he covered arts and culture in more than two dozen countries, including Pakistan, India, China, Russia and Egypt, as well as most of Europe and the Americas. Mr. Genocchio has also written on business, politics, social issues and the arts for Business Review Weekly, The Bulletin and the Sydney Morning Herald, where he began his career as an art critic. Mr. Genocchio has also served as Editor in Chief of Postwest magazine. An Australian native, he was twice shortlisted for the Pascal Prize for cultural criticism and is the author and editor of seven non-fiction books, including Dollar Dreaming, about the corruption in the Aboriginal art market; and forthcoming books -- The Cupcake (Henry Holt Publishers) about the two-decade saga to build Frank Lloyd Wright’s, Guggenheim Museum, and a second book, about the Asian contemporary art market (Random House). Mr. Genocchio has a PhD in Art History from the University of Sydney.

Mr. Genocchio joins Louise Blouin Media as the company is making its entrance into the Chinese marketplace with the launch of ARTINFO.cn and the debut of the China Yahoo! CULTURE+STYLE channel, scheduled to launch in the second quarter, 2010. ARTINFO.cn, will be the premier online destination for local and global news covering the visual and performing arts, style, design, architecture, luxury and the art market from a Chinese perspective. The new CULTURE+STYLE channel will feature art, culture, fashion, celebrity and luxury content for China Yahoo!'s readers.

Louise Blouin Media is the leading global media company focused on art, culture, luxury and lifestyle sectors. Properties range from in-depth reporting and coverage of the art market in Art+Auction, to the insider art scene in Modern Painters, to the breaking news and analysis on ARTINFO.com. With the launching of ARTINFO.cn and the China Yahoo! partnership, Louise Blouin Media publications and media will reach over 20 million global readers a month. In addition to the media properties Louise Blouin Media owns and operates art publisher, Somogy; art market analytic tool, Art Sales Index; Global Consulting and Communications Services – a global branding, consulting and communications group, and through the Louise Blouin Foundation runs the Global Creative Leadership Summit in New York, and the Louise Blouin Foundation Museum in London. The company's mission is to promote cultural understanding and acceptance beyond our borders through dialog and education.


Thanks, Eunice!