Leslie Sacks, Los Angeles art dealer, dies at 61

Leslie Sacks, the Los Angeles art dealer who ran gallery spaces at Bergamot Station in Santa Monica and in Brentwood, has died.

The South African-born gallerist died Sept. 26 at the age of 61 after a battle with cancer, according to a gallery release sent this week.

The gallery said Sacks’ widow, Gina, will take a more active role in the management of the business and the two spaces will continue to operate normally in adherence to Sacks’ wishes.

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Sacks first established himself in the L.A. gallery scene in 1991 when he opened Leslie Sacks Fine Art in Brentwood. He later acquired the Bobbie Greenfield Gallery at Bergamot Station, renaming it Leslie Sacks Contemporary, in 2007.

During his career, Sacks showed a special interest in African tribal art, amassing a collection of about 400 objects. In addition, his Bergamot Station gallery specializes in works by post-war and contemporary artists, including Andy Warhol and Robert Motherwell.

Sacks was born in Johannesburg in 1952. He worked in the field of human rights and established his first gallery, Les Art, in South Africa in 1981. He relocated to the L.A. area a decade later. His survivors include his wife, Gina; their sons Jared and Daniel; and his stepsons Daniel and David.

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