Akinci
AKINCI is an Amsterdam-based contemporary art gallery founded in 1988, representing approximately 30 artists across diverse media. It serves private collectors and museums globally through exhibitions, international art fair participation, and a secondary bookshop publishing catalog.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1988
- HeadquartersAmsterdam, Netherlands
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Akinci does
AKINCI is an Amsterdam-based contemporary art gallery founded in 1988 and privately held by founding director Leylâ Akinci and director/co-owner Renan Beunen. The gallery represents approximately 30 active artists working across diverse media including sound, architecture, painting, sculpture, film, and installation, with a programmatic focus on socio-political, ecological, and gender questions. It maintains an additional archive of historical represented artists and projects.
The gallery operates from a single physical location at Lijnbaansgracht 317 in Amsterdam and monetizes primarily through commissions on artwork sales to private collectors and museums, supplemented by a WooCommerce-powered online bookshop selling artist catalogs, special editions, prints, and publications priced from €10 to €3,500. Distribution is multi-channel: direct gallery sales, international art fair participation (Art Brussels, Art Rotterdam, Art Cologne, Volta Basel, Artissima Torino, Unseen Amsterdam, among others), and online marketplaces including Artsy and Daily Art Fair. Supporting marketing assets include the Quarantine Podcast Sessions on SoundCloud, artist talks, social media (Instagram, Facebook), and email newsletters.
The gallery serves two primary customer segments: private art collectors and museums/public institutions. Documented institutional buyers include MoMA New York, Hamburger Bahnhof (Berlin), Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Kunstpalast Düsseldorf, Perez Art Museum Miami, Centraal Museum Utrecht, Bonnefantenmuseum Maastricht, ARTER Istanbul, and Zimmerli Art Museum (Rutgers University). Management consists of four named individuals; there is no headcount expansion disclosed, no external investment, no subsidiaries, and no public financial reporting.
Akinci firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Akinci
- Legal name
- AKINCI
- Website
- https://akinci.nl
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1988
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- AKINCI is an Amsterdam-based contemporary art gallery founded in 1988, representing approximately 30 artists across diverse media. It serves private collectors and museums globally through exhibitions, international art fair participation, and a secondary bookshop publishing catalog.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Akinci industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Contemporary Art Gallery
- NAICS
- Art Dealers (459920), Art Dealers (45992)
- SIC
- Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit) (THAJADAH)
Keywords
Where Akinci is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Amsterdam
- HQ country
- Netherlands
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Akinci business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Art Sales and Commissions: The gallery generates revenue through the sale of contemporary artworks by represented artists, earning commissions on sales. The gallery also operates a bookshop selling artist editions, catalogs, and special publications.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Artist Editions and Publications |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
Akinci product offering
Product offeringCore offering
AKINCI is an Amsterdam-based contemporary art gallery that represents approximately 30 active artists and mounts exhibitions (solo, duo, group) at its Amsterdam location and at international art fairs. The gallery sells contemporary artworks on commission, operates a bookshop for artist editions, catalogs, and special publications, and produces a podcast covering artist practice and research. Its program spans diverse media — sound, architecture, painting, sculpture, film, and installation — with a thematic focus on socio-political, ecological, and gender questions.
Product overview
AKINCI is an Amsterdam-based contemporary art gallery founded in 1988, operating as a single-location gallery rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The gallery provides a unified offering centered on exhibitions (featuring over 35 represented artists across solo, duo, and group shows), an online bookshop selling artist catalogs and special editions via WooCommerce, a podcast series (Quarantine Podcast Sessions), and participation in international art fairs. The program emphasizes socio-political, ecological, and gender questions through diverse media including sound, architecture, painting, sculpture, film, and installation.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Gallery Exhibitions Contemporary art exhibitions featuring represented and international artists, including solo shows, duo exhibitions, and group presentations at the gallery's Amsterdam location and at international art fairs. For collectors, museums, and art enthusiasts.
- Bookshop & Special Editions Online bookshop selling artist catalogs, artist books, special editions, prints, and artwork reproductions from gallery artists, operated via WooCommerce. Items priced individually from €10 (small publications) to €3,500 (luxury box editions), with individual artist works from €5 to €1,600. For collectors, art enthusiasts, and institutional buyers.
- Quarantine Podcast Sessions Podcast series featuring artist conversations, studio visits, and artistic research discussions, available on SoundCloud. For the art-interested public and the gallery's community.
- Art Fair Participation Representation at international art fairs featuring gallery artists, providing global visibility and direct sales channels to collectors and institutions worldwide.
Companies that use Akinci
Customer profileNamed customers15 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Akinci technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Akinci partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Kunstpalast DüsseldorfminorAcquired Maria Roosen's works 'Lovestory' and 'Riek' from her series Harksels for their collection, featuring works related to 'Kunst van het Geloven' exhibition.
- Mondriaan FundcoreMondriaan Fund commissioned melanie bonajo's 'When the body says Yes' as the Dutch entry for the 59th Venice Biennale in 2022. The fund provides government support for Dutch visual arts and cultural heritage internationally.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Akinci competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Pace Gallery: Major global contemporary art gallery with extensive international presence and representation of historically significant artists. Broader incumbent in the same contemporary gallery category.
- David Zwirner: Global mega-gallery operating in the contemporary art market with extensive international outposts and blue-chip artists. Comparable in business model and institutional placement, though operating at much larger scale than AKINCI.
Others
- Artsy: Online art marketplace where AKINCI lists works for sale. Not a competitor but a distribution channel partner; included because it is a key infrastructure layer in AKINCI's contemporary art sales stack.
Direct peers
- Lisson Gallery: London-founded contemporary art gallery with international outposts and a long-established roster. Comparable in tenure, institutional placements, and focus on diverse media contemporary practice.
- Grimm Gallery: Amsterdam-based contemporary art gallery (formerly Grimmuseen) representing international artists. Highly comparable as a Dutch-rooted contemporary gallery of similar size and orientation.
- Galleria Continua: Italian-rooted gallery with multiple international outposts representing international contemporary artists. Comparable in artist roster diversity and major art fair participation.
- Galerie Max Hetzler: Berlin, Paris, and London-based contemporary art gallery representing an international roster of established artists. Direct peer in European contemporary art gallery space with comparable art fair participation and institutional placement strategy.
- Marian Goodman Gallery: Transatlantic contemporary art gallery with spaces in New York, Paris, and London. Comparable in representing historically significant contemporary artists with strong museum placement records.
- Galerie Eigen + Art: Berlin and Leipzig-based contemporary art gallery with a similarly international roster, art fair presence, and focus on established and emerging contemporary artists across diverse media. Highly comparable as a European mid-sized gallery of similar vintage.
Regional players
- Wittenbrink Fine Art: German contemporary art gallery with comparable focus on socio-political and conceptually rigorous contemporary practice. Regional European peer with similar mid-sized gallery profile.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Akinci social profiles
Digital presenceAkinci financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Akinci leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Akinci funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Akinci M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Akinci
What does Akinci do?
AKINCI is an Amsterdam-based contemporary art gallery that represents approximately 30 active artists and mounts exhibitions (solo, duo, group) at its Amsterdam location and at international art fairs. The gallery sells contemporary artworks on commission, operates a bookshop for artist editions, catalogs, and special publications, and produces a podcast covering artist practice and research. Its program spans diverse media — sound, architecture, painting, sculpture, film, and installation — with a thematic focus on socio-political, ecological, and gender questions.
Is Akinci a public or private company?
Akinci is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Akinci founded?
Akinci was founded in 1988. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Akinci based?
Akinci is headquartered in Amsterdam, Netherlands, in the Europe region.
How does Akinci make money?
One revenue line is on record: art Sales and Commissions.
Who are Akinci's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Pace Gallery and David Zwirner. Artsy is listed as an others. Direct peers are Lisson Gallery, Grimm Gallery, Galleria Continua, Galerie Max Hetzler, Marian Goodman Gallery and Galerie Eigen + Art. Wittenbrink Fine Art is listed as a regional player.
Does Akinci have an API?
No public API is recorded for Akinci.
What industry is Akinci in?
Akinci's product category is Contemporary Art Gallery. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAJADAH, Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit). Its NAICS code is 459920 and its SIC code is 7330.