Method & Concept Shakes Up the Design Scene in Naples
about 61 months ago (04/29/2019)
Chad Jensen opened Method & Concept in Naples, Florida, in 2013 according to the Art Basel Miami Beach playbook. The now-41-year-old remembers devoting the interdisciplinary gallery’s opening months to VIP previews, scintillating artist talks, and only so-so attendance. Naples may be just two hours’ drive from Miami, but at the time of Method & Concept’s launch, the upscale community had few plans to emulate Magic City’s cutting-edge collecting scene. “The contemporary art world was shrouded in mystery and exclusivity, and you could sense discomfort from people who were otherwise masters in their fields,” Jensen recalls. The seasonal, Midwestern-born crowd invested in the secondary market according to art advisors’ recommendations. Meanwhile, the Naples social calendar, famously packed with golf tournaments and philanthropy events, left little time for snowbirds to discover emerging and mid-career talent. Installation shot. PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF METHOD & CONCEPT. Jensen