10 Art Influencers You Need to Follow on Instagram to Stay in the Loop This Fall

Now more than ever social media is the go-to platform for savvy cultural arbiters who accrue dedicated followings by sharing their sensibilities with the world. Whether its a dealer or collector, tastemakers in the art world are no different, offering tantalizing behind-the-scenes glimpses into both their work and their lives on social media. We’ve been keeping an eye on the ‘gram for worthy additions to our daily scroll—here are 10 of our latest finds.

1. Yusaku Maezawa (@yusaku2020) 

In 2017, Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa thrilled the art world when he won an 11-minute bidding war for a Jean-Michel Basquiat painting, nabbing the 1982 work for a cool $110.5 million. He then shared the news with his international legions of Instagram followers. Since then, Maezawa has continued to share art- and business-related news on the platform. In January, he revealed that he would send his prize Basquiat on a museum tour starting with the Brooklyn Museum, and just last week, he announced his plans to travel to the moon (yes, the moon) as part of the first civilian-led lunar expedition in partnership with Elon Musk’s SpaceX. We’ll be watching to see how Maezawa’s “Dear Moon” project unfolds in the coming months.

2. Elena Soboleva (@elenasoboleva)

Soboleva’s Instagram bio reads “Raised on the internet,” so it came as no surprise when the veteran Artsy specialist was tapped by mega-gallery David Zwirner to be its first-ever online sales director. Her Instagram feed is a visual romp through the farthest reaches of art events, ranging from Sterling Ruby at Xavier Hufkens to Dan Flavin at Dia Bridgehampton to  Burning Man.

3. Gucci Beauty (@guccibeauty)

Gucci has long been sourcing inspiration from the annals of art history, but it’s never been more apparent than in the brand’s recent social media account, Gucci Beauty. The brand describes the new account as “guided by creative director Alessandro Michele…with a series of artworks that traverse history as well as gender, culture, and geography.” The posts each feature guest writers and critics, who contribute captions explaining the historical and artistic significance of the selections.

4. Anonymous (@whos_who)

The anonymous Instagram account @whos____who is one that continues to generate interest since arriving on the scene earlier this year. As artnet News’s Rachel Corbett explained, the posts consist of side-by-side comparisons of artwork that looks strikingly similar, with the artist’s names only included in the caption. At the very least, the account can certainly introduce viewers to new artists—while inspiring burgeoning artists to err on the side of caution when it comes to drawing inspiration from those that came before.

5. Benny Or (@bennyor)

Benny Or is a New York transplant by way of Hong Kong and Canada, who trained as an architect before launching himself into the hybridized field of environmental design, merging art and architecture. He’s designed the set for Lil’ Wayne’s music tour, and done art directing for the Ringling Brothers’ Circus. Best of all, his feed regularly features art expeditions at museums and galleries, plus cameos from artists themselves, including Daniel Arsham and Takashi Murakami.

6. Lil Miquela (@lilmiquela)

The most prescient Instagram influencer of all has to be Lil’ Miquela, a digital avatar created in 2016 by Trevor McFedries and Sara Decou. Miquela has since accrued more than one million followers and has appeared in publications like W and Paper magazine, not to mention being a sought-after model and collaborator for luxe brands like Off White, Moncler, Prada, and Chanel. What began as a digital art experiment has officially become a viral sensation.

7. Sarah Andelman (@sarahandelman)

Sarah Andelman is the proprietor of the erstwhile storefront Colette, the concept store that brought collaborations between art and fashion brands to the mainstream. Since shuttering Colette, Andelman continues to be a beacon of creativity online, posting as often from art galleries as from retail showrooms around the world, including Urs Fischer’s robotic office chairs at Gagosian, followed by an insider’s view from London Fashion Week.

8. Andrew Kuo (@earlboykins2)

After a brief hiatus, illustrator and artist Andrew Kuo is back with at his Instagram-antics with the second generation handle, earlboykins2. Earlier this summer, Kuo’s account was deleted from the platform when various users reported his laissez-faire attitude toward attribution. Undeterred, Kuo relaunched his account under the new moniker and continues to delight art world insiders with a potpourri of furry animals, and other meme-friendly visual delights.

9. Jasmin Hernandez (@gallerygurls)

Jasmin Hernandez founded Gallery Gurls in 2012, and as a self-proclaimed “fashion nerd” and “photo editor extraordinaire,” she manages to combine a photographer’s keen eye with a style guru’s taste for this feed. As a Dominican-American, she is a vocal supporter of the Latinx community in and outside of the art world, and uses her almost 10,000-strong fan base to spread her message.

10. Gary Yeh (@artdrunk)

DC-native Gary Yeh is the founder of ArtDrunk and he makes a point to attend as many art shows as possible, from the Lower East Side galleries to Museum Mile. The new media company started in 2015, and has since built up more than 50,000 followers on Instagram. Building on its social media prowess, ArtDrunk is building an editorial platform as well, so stay tuned.