Unique mix of expertise in old master paintings
and contemporary art. 

burcu yüksel, FOUNDER

Burcu Yüksel is a London-based art consultant and dealer with a unique mix of expertise in old master paintings and contemporary art. Born and raised in Istanbul, Burcu has lived in multiple cities such as Boston, New York, Paris, and Florence and had a variety of work experiences in old masters and contemporary art worlds. 

Burcu Yüksel graduated from Brandeis University Cum Laude in 2006 with a double concentration in History of Art (honors) and Economics. She holds an MA in Visual Arts Administration from New York University (2008). 

Currently Burcu is the Director of Gaia Art Foundation and acts as an advisor to the renowned London Old Masters gallery Derek Johns where she was a Director, 2008-2016. She was part of the founding team of London’s exciting new performance festival Block Universe, which debuted in June 2015. 

Burcu is involved in a select number of non-profit arts organizations. She is a founding member of the Young Patrons of the Royal Academy where she served 6 years on the committee. She was also Co-Chair of the Future Unit of the Parasol Unit Foundation for Contemporary Art, 2015-2017.  Burcu is a patron of Istanbul-based SAHA Organization, a founding partner of Outset Young Production Fund in London and one of the Visionaries of PERFORMA, performance biennial in New York.

As a member of the International Association of Art Critics (AICA) Turkey, Burcu is a regular contributor to Art Unlimited with her interview series “Extended Talks” with art professionals such as Lord Peter Palumbo, Candida Gertler OBE, Valeria Napoleone and George Wachter. Her past interviewees for other publications include artists Gilbert & George, Anselm Kiefer, Marina Abramovic, Antony Gormley, David Shrigley and Gary Hume, as well as Frieze co-founder Amanda Sharp and Sir Nicholas Penny, former director of the National Gallery, London.