Despite his unlikely start, the dealer has become a formidable artist whisperer over his career. Here, he talks about his long relationship with Sigmar Polke.

Since striking out on his own at the start of this year, the art dealer Gordon VeneKlasen, Michael Werner’s longtime gallery partner, has kept up a steady pace. The new gallery made its art fair debut at the inaugural Art Basel Qatar in Doha last month. He also took over Werner’s New York and London spaces, which will open under the new VeneKlasen Gallery identity on March 3 and 12, respectively.