MUST SEE DISPATCHES FROM THE ART WORLD

Formidable, deeply intellectual, indefatigable—Marian Goodman is not a frivolous person. But when this shy power broker talks about the artists she represents, she glows. At her galleries in New York and Paris, Goodman is known for exhibiting serious, sometimes difficult work—art with substance. Within the next year, 15 of her artists will have solo shows at museums around the world: Gerhard Richter at San Francisco MoMa, Thomas Struth at Los Angeles MoCa, Maurizio Cattelan also in L.A., Tony Cragg in Bonn, Tacita Dean in Diisseldorf, Rineke Dijkstra in the Netherlands, Steve McQueen in Portugal, Juan Munoz in Chicago, Thomas Schutte in Essen, Lawrence Weiner at the Wexner in Ohio—and William Kentridge's hybrid theater piece will be performed in Paris in the annual Festival d'Automne. "I feel that I have an advantage," Goodman says. "I never started to work with an artist who was at the height of his career. There's a level of trust that's important. I don't want to have a store—I want to feel that I can contribute my fair share." Goodman travels constantly, heading to Europe every six weeks to visit her artists and attend their museum openings. What compels her to work so hard? "Artists who have a vocabulary that enlarges the way in which ideas are presented—the kind of artists who can enrich our lives. Sometimes it's just somebody's brilliance that fills your heart with joy or sorrow. I can't say that it's functionally useful, but it would be a very sad world without it."

A.M. HOMES