This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Justlettersandnumbers (talk | contribs) at 16:20, 19 March 2015 (Undid revision 652045919 by Jn2015 (talk) yet more promotional ad-speak; please understand that Misplaced Pages is an encyclopaedia, not an advertising platform). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 16:20, 19 March 2015 by Justlettersandnumbers (talk | contribs) (Undid revision 652045919 by Jn2015 (talk) yet more promotional ad-speak; please understand that Misplaced Pages is an encyclopaedia, not an advertising platform)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Louise Thérèse Blouin (born October 15, 1958), is a French-Canadian magazine publisher and philanthropist. She is the CEO and president of Louise Blouin Media, and the founder and chairman of the Louise T. Blouin Foundation.
Early life
Louise Thérèse Blouin was born in Montreal, the youngest of six children. Having worked part-time as a book-keeper at school, she went on to McGill University to study commerce, later switching to Concordia. She did not graduate but she did study at the Owner/President Management program at Harvard Business School.
In the early 1980s, she met and married David MacDonald Stewart, a member of the Canadian MacDonald tobacco family. The marriage was annulled within a year for unknown reasons.
Media career
Having later married John MacBain, the two acquired Auto Hebdo, a classified car trading magazine, in 1987. The business grew into Trader Classified Media, which acquired around 400 classified-advertisement publications and – as an early adopter of the internet – 60 websites over the next ten years in over 20 companies, with sales rising from $2m to $400m, and focus expanding from cars to include boats, real estate and jobs.
Hebdo changed its name to Trader.com NV in 2000 after holding IPOs on NASDAQ and the Paris Premier Marché. It continued an acquisition spree that impacted its operating profits for two years, before becoming profitable in 2002. Blouin however, had exited the company in 2000 and not long thereafter divorced her second husband.
Louise Blouin was selected by the World Economic Forum in 1993, to join the first group of the Global Leaders of Tomorrow Community.
She later became CEO of international auction house Phillips, de Pury & Luxembourg, but resigned after a year. She started Louise Blouin Media in 2003, and moved into arts publication, acquiring Art+Auction, Gallery Guide, Museums, Culture+Travel, and Modern Painters within three years. She also founded artinfo.com, an arts website.
In 2010, an article in the New York Post noted controversy over payments to freelance writers for the arts publications of Blouin's company. One group, WAAANKAA (Writers Angry At Artinfo Not Kidding Around Anymore), has demanded back payments of $18,000. In December 2013, Artinfo.com abruptly laid off 25 international employees. The New York Observer posted a 1,000-word internal email from Louise Blouin to staff explaining that the move was part of a new direction in which "One person doing all and not good we need less of one but many more." In February 2014, the New York Post reported that two former executives, Catherine (Kate) Shanley and Wendy Buckley were suing Blouin for $250,000 in pay and commissions.
In 2013, a fake Twitter account under the name Not Louise Blouin was active, posting Tweets satirizing Blouin as out of touch and entitled. The account drew attention within the art press. As of January 2014, the parody account had gone inactive.
Philanthropy
Louise Blouin founded the Louise T. Blouin Foundation in 2005 with the aim of raising awareness about the role that culture and creativity can play in resolving global issues. The foundation, which is a partner of the United Nations Office for Partnerships, has two core aims:
- Encouraging a better understanding of foreign affairs and culture beyond borders through international cooperation, exchange, and dialogue for the 21st century
- Exploring the broader practical significance of creativity and the creative potential of the human brain
The foundation's projects since its inception include:
- Being the principal supporter for the staging of Stravinsky's The Soldier's Tale at The Old Vic theatre, London, in 2005; a collaboration between Iraqi and European actors
- Bring Back New Orleans – support for a research project into rebuilding the cultural infrastructure of New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina
- 4 Generations – a multi-part TV series, chronicling the stories of two families, one Israeli, one Palestinian, in partnership with the Film School of Tel Aviv University and the Royal Jordanian Film Commission
- Making the Case for Culture – support for a research project with the OECD which investigates the possibility of a link between the quality of life in a country and the amount of its GDP spent on culture
- Cultural exchange programmes with China and with The Middle East
- Art and the New Biology of Mind – a think-tank at Columbia University, New York City, in March 2006, featuring debate between artists (such as David Salle, Richard Meier and George Condo) and scientists (such as Richard Axel, Eric Kandel, and Joseph LeDoux) toward a clearer understanding of the ways in which the brain responds to art
- Music and the Brain – a research review exploring how the brain processes music and how music can affect psychological development
The Blouin Creative Leadership Summit
The annual Blouin Creative Leadership Summit brings together Heads of State, Nobel Laureates, private-sector CEOs, artists, doctors, and leader in the areas of science, technology, culture, business, and politics. The two-day executive-level speaking engagement explores the challenges and opportunities presented by globalization. Delegates discuss the implications of globalization on an array of topics ranging from global health to economics to human safety. The summit is covered by international media outlets and is accessible online via audio podcasts and videos.
The Louise T. Blouin Foundation's flagship event took place at Harold Pratt House, New York City, in November 2006. Its stated aim was:
By bringing together influential leaders in business, technology, government, science, and the arts, the Global Creative Leadership Summit, hosted by the LTB Foundation, hopes to unleash insights that will have practical implications for problem-solving across disciplines. How can business and government leaders benefit from knowing more about how the brain works? How can those who see the world differently come together to break through today’s complex challenges?
Notable speakers included:
- Nobel laureates Henry Kissinger, Richard Axel, James Watson, and Eric Kandel
- Scientists or public personalities V. S. Ramachandran, Mehmet Oz, and Lisa Randall
- Spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
- Journalist Arianna Huffington
- Chess grandmaster Susan Polgar
- Saudi Ambassador to the United States Prince Turki Al Faisal
- Artists Chuck Close, Richard Serra, Shirin Neshat, Mariko Mori, and Alex Katz
- Designer Bruce Mau
- CEO of the Blackstone Group Stephen Schwarzman
- President of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili
- ITC Infotech president LN Balaji
- Irina Bokova, Bulgarian politician and director-general of UNESCO
The Louise T. Blouin Institute
In October 2006 the foundation opened the Louise T. Blouin Institute in Shepherd's Bush in west London. A gallery space combined with a centre for the foundation's work, its opening exhibition featured light installation pieces by Californian artist James Turrell. Lecturers organised to speak on the theme of art, light, and science in tandem with the exhibition included Professors Semir Zeki, Martin Kemp, and Sir Michael Berry.
The foundation's website lists the philosophy of the institute as follows:
The philosophy of the Institute will be experimentation, questioning, debate, learning, and there will be two focuses of activity. The first is to present the work of individual artists through temporary exhibitions, installations, performances, and screenings. We will also promote a lively programme of events such as lectures, debates, workshops, think-tanks and summits related to the Foundation’s areas of interest.
Trivia
- She is known to have dyslexia, and has often stated her belief in the enhanced creative abilities of those who have the condition.
- The Sunday Times Rich List 2005 placed her at equal 192nd place, estimating her fortune at £250 million.
References
- ^ Guardian interview
- 'Art Publisher's Ambition is a Study in Revenge', Andrew Porter, The Sunday Times, 14 March 2004
- History of Trader Classified Media
- Keith J. Kelly (July 16, 2010). Didn’t get paid by Louise Blouin? Get in line. New York Post. Accessed December 2013.
- Dan Duray (December 13, 2013) Blouin Media, Publisher of Art+Auction and Modern Painters, Terminates Most International Freelance Contracts New York Observer
- Keith J. Kelly (February 14, 2014) Former execs sue Blouin Media New York Post
- Dan Duray Obviously, This Is Not Louise Blouin on TwitterNew York Observer
- Paddy Johnson Wednesday Links ArtFCity
- Louise T. Blouin Foundation website
- http://features.rr.com/article/054A1XP8Jz1Wb
- Global Creative Leadership Summit website
- http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35375456?q=Arianna%20Huffington
- ^ http://www2.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=NHCC-MTC.story&STORY=/www/story/09-20-2010/0005315331&EDATE=MON+Sep+20+2010,+10:30+AM
- http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/September2010/20/c3310.html
- http://www.pr-inside.com/itc-infotech-president-ln-balaji-attends-r3439762.htm
- http://www.unesco.org/new/en/media-services/single-view/news/director_general_meets_the_secretary_general_of_the_united_nations_and_the_president_of_the_general_assembly_prior_the_67th_session_of_the_general_assembly/
- Louise T Blouin Foundation website
- "A New Arts Foundation with a Focus on Creativity", Felicia R. Lee, New York Times, 2 May 2005