Marine Tanguy | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 5 July 1989 (age 36) Île de Ré |
| Organization | MTArt Agency |
| Children | 3 |
| Awards | Forbes 30 Under 30 (2018) |
| Website | https://mtart.agency/ |
Marine Tanguy (born 5 July 1989) is a British and French art entrepreneur and author. She is the founder and CEO of MTArt Agency. [1] [2] [3]
Tanguy was born on the French island of Île de Ré. [4] Her mother is a primary school teacher and her father a sports teacher on the Island. [5]
At the age of 21 Tanguy managed her first gallery, the Outsider's Gallery, in London's Soho district. [6] Tanguy, who was two years into an art history degree at the University of Warwick at the time, dropped out of the course to take up the role. [7] The Outsider's Gallery was founded by Steve Lazarides, the gallerist who discovered many of the top street artists such as Banksy and Invader. [8]
Two years later in April 2014 Tanguy, along with investor Steph Sebbag, opened the De Re Gallery in Los Angeles. [9]
In June 2015, Tanguy founded MTArt Agency. MTArt Agency was the first talent agency dedicated to visual artists. [10]
MTArt covers their artists' studio costs, sells their works, implement cultural & commercial partnerships and offers their artists press exposure. In return, MTArt Agency gains commission on each piece the artist sells, and artists give one piece of art to the agency's private collection each year. [11]
According to MTArt, the agency reviews 200 portfolios of up-and-coming artists every month, with the value of the selected artists' works growing on average 150% in value year-on-year. [12] [13] MTArt Agency currently has offices in London and Paris. [14]
In July 2022, MTArt was listed on The Times100 as one of the top 100 fastest-growing companies in the UK. [15] Investors include Frédéric Jousset, Saul Klein, Simon de Pury and Todd Ruppert of T. Rowe Price. [16]
In October 2022, an article in Le Monde detailed that a few former employees accused Tanguy of concealed work, tax fraud, customs fraud and moral harassment. [17] Tanguy has disputed the allegations. She stated that MTArt Agency was the target of a blackmail attempt by three former consultants following the termination of their contracts, during which £500,000 was allegedly demanded, and not given, to prevent a campaign against the company. [18] In a 2023 interview with Country and Town House, she described the allegations as a "public opinion case" intended to damage her and her business, and argued that the criticism reflected a gendered double standard compared to male entrepreneurs. [19]
In March 2024, Tanguy wrote The Visual Detox: How to Consume Media Without Letting It Consume You, published by Penguin and SquarePeg. The book explains how the imagery we see shapes our wellbeing, aiming to provide tools to think critically about images, combat information overload, and engage more positively with the visual world in both online and offline spaces. [20] [21]
She has also contributed to academic research. With colleagues at the Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment, University College London, she co-authored a paper on harnessing the visual public realm for community prosperity. [22] She also co-authored a paper with Warwick Business School on innovation ecosystems and cultural impact, published in the journal Technological Forecasting and Social Change. [23]
Beyond books and academic work, Tanguy is a frequent contributor to several publications, including Big Think, [24] Citizen Femme, [25] and Marie Claire. [26]
Tanguy is a spokesperson for equal access to the arts, public art, and for highlighting the experiences of women in business and entrepreneurship.
Tanguy has delivered three TedX talks: on how to transform cities with art (2017), on the effects of social media visuals on the mind (2018), and on visual biases (2024). [27] [28] [29]
In 2018 Tanguy was included in Forbes 30 under 30 Europe: Art and Culture. [30] In 2019 she received the Demeter Award at the NatWest everywoman awards. [31] On 24 October 2024, she received the Champion of Empowerment Medal for her leadership in supporting artists and creatives, presented at the UK Houses of Parliament. [32]
Marine frequently speaks in the media about these topics and has been interviewed by the likes of BBC News, Sky News, Bloomberg Television, France24, and BFM TV. [33] [34] [35] [36]
In 2025 she was appointed a Special Advisor for UN Women UK. [37]
Tanguy lives in London and has three sons with her partner William McQuillan. [38] [39]