Millie Jason Foster is the dynamic owner of the Gillian Jason Gallery in Fitzrovia, the first commercial space in the UK to solely champion art by women. With a background in investment banking and tech, Millie brings such a fresh and unique perspective to the art-collecting experience and to the role of the Gallery within the art industry. She's passionate about bringing artists of all generations into the spotlight, recognising the transformative power of female art to shape perception and drive change.
Millie Jason Foster at Gillian Jason Gallery
Tell me about your journey with art?
My Grandmother, Gillian, opened her eponymous Gallery in the ground floor of her Camden townhouse in the 1980s. As a child spending time in her home, the walls were constantly filled with emotionally charged images, portraits of strange ladies (as I called them), and abstracted forms - all of which now represent the world in which I exist.
Wow, such a wonderful way to be introduced to the art world.
Yes, but I never planned to get into the art world. With a degree in Politics, I graduated into an Investment Banking job, one which valued strategy and numerical skill. However, when my grandmother passed, I was at a crossroads in terms of my career ahead. It became a pivotal moment when my Mother, Ellli, and I were concerned about the loss of Gillian’s legacy. So we decided to re-open Gillian Jason Gallery in my Grandmother’s name, but bring it into the modern day. Inspired by her legacy, we decided to focus on solely championing art by women. Today, I run the Gallery with a team of four women, all of whom are brilliantly committed to the same cause.
‘This Too Will Be Lost, Like a Kiss Blown In The Breeze’, Solo Show, Megan Baker, June 2025 at Gillian Jason Gallery
Millie and guests at the opening preview of ‘A Playground for the Overwhelmed’, Alice Irwin, July 2025 at Gillian Jason Gallery
What makes Gillian Jason such a unique gallery?
GJG is the first commercial space in the UK to solely champion art by women. We do this with the aim to forge parity in a historically gendered art market. What also makes us unique is the curatorial commitment we have to artists at every stage of their career. It is important to document an artist’s work right from the beginning.
Similarly, we spend a lot of time researching women artists of the past whose works have not been recognised in their time and now need exposure and cataloguing.
My aim for GJG is to continue to expand the international roster of artists we represent, helping to grow their careers and providing institutional recognition for the best of art by women. In turn, I hope that the Gallery can play a part in shifting narratives and opening new conversations.
Tell me a little about how you find, select, and curate artists at Gillian Jason.
By virtue of our niche, GJG has built a strong network of artists, curators and collectors. We source many of our represented artists through network recommendations. Graduate shows are also a good jumping-off point for spotting new talents. Although many artists we work with are also self-taught, which is important to mention when art school can be a costly accomplishment. And finally, we find a few international artists over Instagram, although this is few and far between.
Do you have more new collectors or more established collectors, or is it a mix?
Alike to our roster of artists, GJG’s collectors mainly reside at two ends of the spectrum. The first is an established collector base who have historically acquired blue-chip artists and are now expanding their purview into emerging art. On the other hand, due to my background in Finance, we are fostering a space for ‘emerging collectors’ to break into the art world, learn more, and acquire their first piece.
Eleanor Johnson’s work (recent winner of the Jackson’s Art Prize 2025), alongside Megan Baker
Walk me through your top tips for someone wishing to start collecting art.
Firstly, you don’t have to have a background in art to understand it. Engaging in art should not be intimidating. Art is resonant if a piece of art provokes an emotional reaction of any kind.
Secondly, only buy what you love. Any investment potential should be a secondary consideration.
And lastly, find a Gallery that you feel comfortable with. Visit a few, find where you feel welcome, and see if you like their curatorial programme. A lot like brands, the roster of artists that a gallery represents can be somewhat identifiable. This will help you to find your style of collecting in an organic and friendly way.
Talk me through some of your own personal collection.
I mostly have abstract art in my home. This wasn’t by design, but a friend recently pointed it out. Unpacking this, I find abstraction deep and meaningful on an existential level. No two marks are ever the same, no combination of colour or brushstrokes are similar.
Milan Young at 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, October 2024 at Somerset House in London
The first piece of abstraction I ever collected was a painting by Milan Young. The piece hangs centrally in my living room and can be viewed from all angles. Every time I look at it, I experience something different. Milan is an abstract expressionist painter who uses shape, colour theory and words to create layered canvases - nothing like I could ever imagine.
On the other hand, I have several figurative paintings in my home and what I love most about these are all of the characters. They become recognisable friends in my life. Overall, my collection translates from what we show at GJG, in that they are all artworks that are both thought-provoking and relatable.
Any thoughts around maintaining a personal collection of art?
I try to keep as much on my walls as possible, so my personal collection is carefully curated and built at a slow rate because I know how much time I (hopefully) have ahead of me to discover new artists.
When it comes to caring for the pieces on my walls, the two biggest tips are to keep artworks away from direct sunlight as they can fade (especially works paper), and don’t hang anything above the radiator if you can help it. Like most things, it is easier to maintain than restore an artwork.
‘Looking Back, Moving Forwards’ by Clare Shenstone, May 2024 at Gillian Jason Gallery
Tell me about your perspective on making art accessible for all.
The GJG space is the first frontier in how we make art accessible. We designed a gallery with warm wooden floors and soft furnishings in the hope that viewers and passers-by will spend time in each room, considering and responding to the art on the walls without intimidation or the pressure of purchasing something. To that end, we also have a printed wall text for every show to give an overview of the themes and styles for anyone who wants more information.
‘Short Stories’, Solo Show, Jenya Datsko, June 2025 at Gillian Jason Gallery
This I think is important, so often I visit shows and I see the connection that gets lost when this crucial information isn’t given an opportunity to connect with the audience.
Yes exactly. And further to this, we have a new programme called GJG Sessions. These are social events that are designed to bring people together in a meaningful way to engage with art and each other. Events include workshops, meditation sessions, poetry readings etc. Finally, I must mention prices. GJG tries to keep the values of art as accessible as possible. Although we can sell art at relatively high price tags in the thousands, collectors can acquire something meaningful from the gallery for as little as £200.
‘After Leonora: Echoes of Surrealism’, group exhibition exploring the impact of Leonora Carrington’s work, January 2025 at Gillian Jason Gallery
Tell me about a few standout artists you’ve had at the gallery.
The Gallery’s roster is representative of what weI feel are today’s standout artists. GJG specifically looks for emerging talent who are creating new artworks or concepts that are the most resonant ideas of our time. I would like to mention GJG’s solo show by Emily Ponsonby.
Her show opens September 11th, 2025.
Yes that’s right. She’s a brilliant artist adopting the ancient encaustic technique of fusing beeswax and pigment together to present paintings that depict contemporary gathering scenes. But it would be insincere of me to only recognise one or two artists!
GJG has also had the pleasure to show exhibit and deal in many established female names, some of which my Grandmother historically worked with too, including Louise Bourgeois, Leonora Carrington, Cecily Brown, Tracey Emin, Bridget Riley, Judy Chicago… and many more brilliant women. etc.
Incredible!
However, if I were to mention one highlight, it would be showing Leonora Carrington. Surrealism is a period from Art History that I relate to very strongly and there are many brilliant female artists from the movement who are now getting their recognition. Carrington is one of them.
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