UTA’s Fine New Division

The agency, which represents the likes of Celine Dion, Bob Seger, Jerry Seinfeld, and Jeff Dunham, apparently doesn’t plan to sell art, but will instead help artists secure funding for their projects and find sponsorship and merchandising deals.

“We want fine artists to feel that they have someone in their corner, providing the infrastructure to advance and protect their business interests so they may do their best work,” UTA chairman Jim Berkus said in a statement.

This is the first time a talent agency has sought to represent visual artists.

The division will be headed up by art lawyer Joshua Roth, who added in the statement that “we believe there is room for a serious, professional representation structure in the art world, one that helps artists gain greater control of their careers and opens the doors to new and better opportunities.”

Roth is the son of Steven Roth, who co-founded Creative Artists Agency.