Pace Welcomes Jessie Washburne-Harris as Vice President

Marc Glimcher, CEO and President of Pace Gallery, today announced the appointment of Jessie Washburne-Harris as Vice President. Washburne-Harris, a veteran of Marian Goodman Gallery, where she worked for the past 8 years and most recently served as Executive Director, will join Pace’s global sales team later this month.

While at Marian Goodman, Washburne-Harris led the gallery’s sales team, driving sales in the primary and secondary markets. In addition, Washburne-Harris’s role encompassed high level artist support, developing strategies related to the gallery’s presence at art fairs, managing relationships with auction houses, and establishing the gallery’s online sales presence. Prior to her tenure with Marian Goodman, Washburne-Harris founded Harris Lieberman, which grew to become one of New York’s most respected and successful young galleries focused on emerging international artists. She has also held roles at Petzel Gallery, Sotheby’s, and Gagosian.

At Pace, Washburne-Harris will have a broad mandate, working on strategy across departments and with other senior dealers including the heads of the sales team, Joe Baptista and Samanthe Rubell, and fellow Vice President Adam Sheffer. Harris will be based at the gallery’s flagship New York location at 540 West 25th Street. Alongside her role as a dealer, Harris will have a place in Pace’s recently restructured executive team, where she will champion Pace’s artists and share their visionary work with audiences worldwide by contributing towards global business development strategy and programming decisions related to Pace’s artists and activity in the Americas, Europe, and Asia.

Washburne-Harris says:

“I have been watching closely as Marc Glimcher has set a new course for Pace, and I have been impressed with how the gallery is navigating the landscape of the changing art world under his watch. Pace has an incredible legacy—it has played a vital role in shaping our shared understanding of contemporary art history. Today, the gallery’s visionary thinking, both in the physical and digital spheres, makes it an exciting place to be. After eight wonderful years with Marian Goodman, the time feels right to embrace new challenges. I am honored to join the Pace team at this key moment.”

Glimcher says:

“I am thrilled that Jessie is joining our team. Her time working alongside Marian and with artists at the vanguard, coupled with her vast experience from previous ventures, has equipped Jessie with a unique skillset that perfectly complements the expertise of our current team. Jessie has been instrumental in ensuring and expanding the legacy of the historic and inimitable Marian Goodman Gallery and we look forward to having her aboard at Pace.”

With Glimcher at the helm since 2011, Pace has spearheaded exploration into the intersection of art and technology—both through the development of new business models and tactics that recenter artists within an evolving industry and its representation of artists engaging with technology across their distinct creative practices.

Over the past year, Pace has undergone significant change. As an industry leader, the gallery diversified its business model to deftly navigate the changing landscape under the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic: first by developing its digital offerings and footprint in a move towards online sales, followed by the opening of two new brick-and-mortar locations in East Hampton and Palm Beach to re-connect audiences with art in-person. The gallery also announced plans to expand its presence in Europe with a new location in London due to open in Hanover Square in fall 2021. This will be the gallery’s ninth location alongside spaces in New York, Palo Alto, Palm Beach, East Hampton, Geneva, Seoul, and Hong Kong, in addition to an office and private viewing room in Beijing.