Linel Rebechuk
The Art Major
“Buy art for what it says to you, not for what the critics say. However, if it’s your wish to purchase art for investment purposes, consult a professional art dealer, or be prepared to make it a full-time job”
As Vice President of the Toronto International Art Fair, Linel Rebenchuk oversees all aspects of sales, operations, administration, marketing and advertising. His areas of expertise include the visual arts, music and design.
linel@tiafair.com
604.730.2067
Passionate about everything that captures his interest, with a restless entrepreneurial spirit and always in search for new challenges, Linel Rebenchuk has a colorful and exciting background.
Born in Bucharest, Romania, Linel immigrated to Canada in 1986. Initially, he followed his father’s career as a musician. His early musical training was in classical violin, however he later furthered his musical interests to include percussion and drums, focusing on jazz and rock music. A talented and somewhat self-taught musician, Linel was performing with some of the most important Romanian musicians by the young age of nineteen. This led him onto a very successful career as a musician and bandleader. During this time, he completed his studies in business and economics and in 1975 received his Baccalaureate in Business Finance.
Between 1975 and 1979 he was the Tour Impresario for the theater company C. Tanasae - the most popular variety theater in Bucharest. He later went on to become Stage Director for a leading drama theatre and was responsible for coordinating a National Cultural Festival featuring thousands of participants from throughout the country.
His initiation into the visual arts started with his lifetime friend and mentor Valeriu Ciumacu, a noted Romanian sculptor and art teacher. Valeriu involved Linel in two editions of the International Sculpture Symposium at Magura and thereafter began to work as his art agent and a secondary market art dealer.
By 1985 Linel had had enough of socialist Romania and while touring in Yugoslavia with his band he defected to Italy and then immigrated to Canada. Arriving in Canada penniless and without prospects, Linel took various odd jobs to help him improve his English and set up a home to welcome his wife Mihaela who joined him in 1987. For six years he lived in Toronto working at various jobs but was unable to create a viable career with either his music or cultural production skills. In 1992 they moved to Vancouver where he set up a small art gallery. For the next several years he managed to make a modest living, mostly with European artist exhibits and some revenue from a framing operation he ran at the back of the gallery.
In 1997 he founded and produced the first Vancouver International Art Exhibition. The first two fairs 1997 and 1998 were very successful with positive media coverage and the participation of 40 plus quality international galleries. However, sales were proving to be difficult and it became apparent that the Vancouver fair would not achieve the critical mass of galleries and collectors necessary for its survival. Therefore, in 2000, with additional financing from an event organizer group, Linel moved the fair to Toronto and started the Toronto International Art Fair that has since enjoyed spectacular growth and success, becoming the largest and most important commercial visual art event in Canada.
In January 2008 the event was acquired by MMPI, joining an impressive portfolio of art fairs in New York, Chicago and Basel, Switzerland. Linel continues to manage TIAF as its Executive Director.
His interests include music, art, design, gourmet food and vintage wines (he has been operating a small vineyard in Lake Country, Okanagan Valley since 2004).
