Mr. Cope. (Courtesy Papercitymag.com)

The Baer Faxt newsletter reported this morning that Marlborough Chelsea has hired former Marc Strauss director James Cope as its new director of sales.

Mr. Cope said he met gallery owner Max Levai at Art Basel Miami Beach last year and received a call about a job interview shortly after he left the Strauss gallery, which he'd joined this year after leaving the Dallas-based Goss-Michael Foundation, home to the art of singer George Michael and his partner Kenny Goss. At Marlborough, he joins an ever-growing roster of artists and staff (the gallery nabbed former Taxter and Spengemann partner Pascal Spengemann as its new director in January).

"My title is director of sales but it's still going to be the three of us, myself, Max and Pascal, working very hands-on," Mr. Cope said on the phone, "setting up shows and meeting with writers and curators, just all the usual kind of duties that one has to undertake when you're getting a program going. I'm really excited."

Mr. Spengemann.

Yesterday news broke that Pascal Spengemann, whose Taxter & Spengemann gallery closed this fall, will be the new director at Marlborough Chelsea. Reached for comment today, Mr. Spengemann said he's eager to start, and busy meeting artists.

The hiring is new enough that Mr. Spengemann said his plans for the gallery are still in the air, but had kind words for the space's 24-year-old owner Max Levai.

"For someone so young he's very bright," Mr. Spengemann said. "He's grown up in the biz, and I feel like he has a really great handle on it. I feel really excited about working together."

Mr. Spengemann said he wasn't sure if he was going to be bringing in any new artists into the program, let alone ones from Taxter & Spengemann, adding that he's entered "a very different kind of scenario from T and S."

Recently Marlborough Chelsea began a campaign to differentiate itself from its 57th Street location, which has served as its headquarters since 1963 (the two will have separate booths at the Armory Show this year). The downtown iteration has been host to a number of high-profile shows lately, including the group show "Blind Cut," which opened with a madhouse reception last week.

"I think that kind of show points out that there's a real opportunity there to have a broad appeal and I think that's already started happening," Mr. Spengemann said. "I think that's something that's really intriguing about working for the gallery."