Larry Gagosian may be known as the world’s most famous art dealer, but he recently took on another title: bookseller. After the original owner of BookHampton put the beloved East Hampton bookshop up for sale last fall, locals feared a new buyer might shutter it. Then along came Gagosian, a longtime Amagansett resident, who swooped in to purchase the property in May. He says he plans to stay the course and maintain the establishment’s vibrancy as a community hub, though he can’t resist expanding its art and design offerings.
To inaugurate “Required Reading,” CULTURED’s new column in which influential tastemakers reveal what’s on their nightstands, Gagosian shared his literary habits—and his surprising personal connection to one of the hottest novels about Hamptons life.
Where’s your favorite place and time to read?
I mostly read in the evenings—wherever I am. I also travel a fair amount and like to read when I’m on the plane.
You just bought a book store in East Hampton. What’s your favorite thing about shopping in person?
BookHampton is a great place to buy books. As a pretty consistent reader, bookstores are genuinely useful to me—I like picking things up, reading the dust jackets. I order online sometimes, but the great thing about a bookstore is that you’ll go in looking for one thing and come out with five. There’s no substitute for that kind of experience.
For me, the ability to browse is key. Sometimes a title or author will intrigue me, but when I read a few paragraphs, the prose might not land—I realize I wouldn’t want to spend 300 pages with that voice. That kind of spontaneous sampling can only happen in person.
What is the future of BookHampton?
I have lived in Amagansett for 35 years, and I’ve always loved the fact that Main Street had a wonderful independent bookstore. It will remain a general interest bookstore, but I plan to bolster the art and design offerings. I want to ensure that it remains relevant, and East Hampton is a community with a lot of people who care about art.
Name one book you recommend to anyone who spends time in the East End.
I'd like to give Emma Cline a shout-out for The Guest. She wrote it while staying in my guest house.
Who's an artist you feel deserves a biography but doesn’t have one yet?
There are a lot of artists who deserve a biography. In terms of more recent artists, I think Richard Prince deserves one.
One book your childhood self loved?
Black Beauty. I remember being captivated by that book.
One book that made you want to live your life in a certain way?
I don’t know that any book ever changed my life. I like biographies, and I loved Walter Isaacson’s biography of Steve Jobs in particular. It was a testament not only to a vision, but to the power of incredible tenacity. That book made a big impression on me.
Larry Gagosian’s Summer Reading List:
I’ve recently read: Irascible: The Combative Life of Douglas Cooper, Collector and Friend of Picasso by Adrian Clark and Richard Calvocoressi; The Maverick’s Museum: Albert Barnes and His American Dream by Blake Gopnik.
I’m looking forward to reading: Adventures in the Louvre: How to Fall in Love with the World's Greatest Museum by Elaine Sciolino; Dolce Vita Confidential: Fellini, Loren, Pucci, Paparazzi, and the Swinging High Life of 1950s Rome by Shawn Levy.
I’d recommend: Perspective(s): A Novel by Laurent Binet; The Golden Hour: A Story of Family and Power in Hollywood by Matthew Specktor.
