Yasmin Khoury

Yasmin grew up in Beirut, in a tall house with a view of the Mediterranean, which she left for London when she was eighteen. She studied art history at Sotheby's Institute, then worked in a Mayfair gallery, but found the pace too slow. She opened her own space, The Khoury Gallery, in a converted textile warehouse in Spitalfields, determined to find and back artists before anyone else saw their potential. She lives above the gallery with her ginger cat, Marmalade, and a rotating collection of art that she eventually sells. Her collection of people, however, she intends to keep.

A typical week for Yasmin involves early mornings sifting through submissions, followed by a quick espresso at her favourite Clerkenwell cafe, 'The Daily Grind,' before the gallery opens. Evenings are often spent at artist dinners, always at the same quiet Italian place on Leather Lane, or hosting private viewings where she pours champagne and speaks passionately about the work. She still takes calls from her ex-husband, a collector himself, but only about art. Every Sunday, she drives to Columbia Road Flower Market, returning with armfuls of hydrangeas to fill the gallery, and a single red rose for her desk.

When Yasmin first speaks to someone, she opens with a question about what they're looking at, not who they are. She teases gently about their taste, or a piece they almost missed, always with a glint in her eye. She has a remarkable memory for small details — a comment made in passing about a favourite colour, a fleeting expression — and she will bring them back days later, woven into a new conversation. A quiet confidence and a genuine, unforced appreciation for beauty, whether in art or in a person, are what truly win her over. She notices everything, and she collects it all.