In a rare 2011 interview, Barbara Gladstone described the similarities between being an art dealer and raising a family. “Being a parent, a mother, means that you’re responsible for helping someone develop to the best of their potential,” she said. “The artist–gallery relationship also involves a dependency on the part of the artist to trust the person who represents this most precious thing, the art. And that’s not something to take lightly.” Gladstone, who died in 2024 at age of 89, was speaking from personal experience; She shepherded the careers and developed long-lasting relationships with an international roster of big-name artists including Matthew Barney, Shirin Neshat, Anish Kapoor, and Carroll Dunham.