Marine Tanguy: Breaking Barriers as a Female CEO in the Art World

I was told that my function as a woman in the art world was to marry a wealthy man and be it. Needless to say, I showed that one can build a successful business, currently one of the fastest growing businesses in our sector, according to the Sunday Times, and be a woman without the need to marry into wealth. My husband built a separate business in the same year as I, and it has been a joy to grow both businesses side by side. 

I am acutely aware of the many inequalities and biases that the majority of people face on a daily basis. I am white, educated and privileged within this context, and I would never take this for granted. My last TEDx talk addresses this issue, and my mission is to make the art world a more inclusive place, both for artists to strive within it and for larger audiences to access it. 

I am a passionate advocate for the role of the artist in our society, I wish for art to become a part of our everyday experience. I published my academic paper with Warwick University supporting a new way to value public art projects within cities. I also published my first book with Penguin, encouraging a more active participation in our visual culture, all the while teaching visual literacy.

My journey has been hard and rewarding. Rewarding because I have developed key skills like resilience, patience and drive that make me a better leader. Hard because the punches can go low, including receiving death threats when I was pregnant, as part of a takedown campaign against me after we had just fundraised at a record amount for the sector. I would not have it any other way as this life tapestry of experiences has made me someone I am very proud to be–a better CEO, parent and friend. 

We carry inherent biases against our gender. 65% of women prefer to have a male boss, and often, many women may belittle a female leader without even acknowledging it. We need to make sure that we endorse companies and media that support our gender and not profit from its takedown and criticism. It starts with small day-to-day actions, like not clicking on a Daily Mail image highlighting the cellulite of said celebrity over her achievements. Our objectification forbids us from existing truly. 

The milestone I am most proud of is being happy. It may seem cheesy, but I am very happy with the life that I have today, and I am so grateful to have such wonderful kids, colleagues, partners and friends. 

At age 21 years old, Marine was the youngest gallery manager in Europe when she managed the gallery of Steve Lazarides, who discovered Banksy. At 23 years old, she was approached by a US investor to open her first art venture in Los Angeles, De Re Gallery (named after the island she came from in France) on Melrose Avenue. The gallery launched with several celebrities and mega collectors like Demi Moore. It's in Los Angeles that Marine had the idea to build the very first talent agency in the art world, mimicking the top talent agencies like CAA, UTA and WME. Marine launched Certified B Corporation, MTArt Agency in London, in 2015, when she was 25 years old.

MTArt Agency was listed as one of the fastest-growing companies in the UK on the Sunday Times Power list and is currently expanding to the US and Middle East markets. 

As a business person, Marine was awarded Forbes 2018 30 under 30 Europe: Art & Culture, UK Entrepreneur of the Year for the 2019 NatWest Awards and 2023 Hurun Entrepreneur of the Year under 35. In 2024, she was awarded the Champion of Empowerment Medal for her leadership in empowering artists and creatives around the globe by Alex Davies-Jones, Minister for VAWG and the Parliamentary Society of Arts, Fashion & Sports.