Draft:Bona Montagu

Bona Montagu (born 1972, London) is a collections curator and founder of Montagu Arts, art consultancy based in London and Brussels. Montagu is a former Managing Director at Skarstedt Gallery and Director at Dickinson in London. She was elected co-vice chair of the Society of London Art Dealers in 2020.

Career
Whilst studying for her BA in Art History at the Courtauld Institute of Art, Montagu collaborated with a former fellow student and close friend Joshua Compston. As well as working with many of the artists of the YBA movement, including Gavin Turk, Tracey Emin, Sarah Lucas and Damien Hirst, they organised events in Shoreditch as a part of Compston’s vision to shape an artistic community and to create an urban regeneration. The events included two celebrated fêtes (A Fête Worse Than Death) and (The Hanging Picnic).

Montagu began her career at Christie’s, subsequently joining the leading private dealership Dickinson, where she remained for seventeen years.

In 2012 Montagu joined forces with Per Skarstedt, opening Skarstedt Gallery London whilst continuing to advise under Montagu Arts. During her time as the Managing Director, the gallery staged historical exhibitions such as In Homage, Willem de Kooning: Late Paintings as well as exhibitions of new work by artists such as George Condo, Eric Fischl and David Salle.

Montagu left Skarstedt in 2021 to concentrate on curating private and corporate collections as part of Montagu Arts. Montagu’s comments on the art market appeared in international publications, such as The Financial Times, The New York Times, The Evening Standard, The Art Newspaper, and Apollo Magazine, among others. She has participated in panel talks and conferences, including “Anti-Money Laundering and the Art Market” organised by Art Basel, and "Build Your Own Art World" for the Association of Women in the Arts.

Montagu was elected co-vice chair of the Society of London Art Dealers in 2020.