Maty Sall is a French-Senegalese, Paris-born, New York City based art dealer and curator. Her early exposure to a confluence of aesthetic and cultural discourses have shaped the unique visual language and the curatorial sensibility that guides her practice. Her regular visits to museums, both at home and abroad, were foundational influences— in particular Ousmane Sow’s 1998 exhibition at the Pont des Arts and Marina Abramović’s 2010 MoMA retrospective.
She moved to New York City at 19 years old after a year of studying Fine Art and Art History at Sorbonne University. After completing the fast-track English language course at Hunter College, she graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a minor in Art History from the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT).
Upon graduating, Sall joined the Upper East Side’s Rosenfeld Gallery, where she rose to the role of Assistant Director. There she specialized in the secondary market, working directly with private collectors and auction houses like Christie’s and Sotheby’s, selling works by Andy Warhol,
Jean-Michel Basquiat, Keith Haring, Alexander Calder, and many others.
Eager to work directly with artists and dive into the primary market, in 2017 Sall went onto become the Director of Soho’s Paul Nicklen Gallery, where she worked with leading National Geographic photographers and conservationists. The gallery’s focus on sustainability and environmentalism led her to collaborate with prestigious institutions such as the Explorer’s Club, the United Nations, the Audubon Society, and the World Wildlife Fund.
In 2019, after a two-year tenure at Nicklen, Sall became the Director of Jason Jacques Gallery, where she honed her expertise and trailblazing vision working with leading designers and artists like Rick Owens, Beth Cavener, and Kim Simonsson. Always thinking outside the box, she led the team through four years of exhibitions and international art fairs including TEFAF Maastricht, FOG Design+Art, Design Miami/Basel, and Design Miami/, which featured her notable 2022 collaboration with UrbanUmbrella: a large-scale scaffolding installation and monumental sculpture series by Kim Simonsson.
Under her direction, the gallery moved from the Upper East Side to the heart of Chelsea in the Spring of 2022. Her unique approach to expanding the contemporary program proved a wild success; she was the curatorial force behind SMOKE, the inaugural show at the new location— a group exhibition benefitting the Last Prisoner Project, that raised thousands of dollars for their cause.
Informed by her international art market acumen, and with her astute sensitivity for beauty, Sall aims to affirm the global impact and significance of contemporary African art. Through her thought-provoking curatorial practice, she challenges the shallow and habitually negative discourse surrounding the Continent. By showcasing the multiplicity and depth of contemporary work from both established and emerging African artists, she shines a light on limitless cultural diversity and complexity. Her work demonstrates that the global art conversation is not complete without a chorus of voices from Africa.
