Art galleries are a very important part of the art industry. Their role is major in every aspect but especially because they are the link between artists and collectors. Art collectors are looking for new talents all the time. When they do find them, they always try to showcase the best new artists in their exhibitions. In this way, they promote artworks and artists, by making them available for everyone to discover and admire. Nevertheless, sometimes there are misconceptions about art galleries. One primary issue is that they are not always that well-known. What they are or what they do is not very easy for everyone to understand. In this article, we recommend 4 art galleries that you should visit at least once in your life. But before that, let’s bring some clarity.
The most common question that arises is: What is an art gallery? An art gallery is similar to an art museum in the way that it is also a space for the display of artworks. The main difference between these and museums is that in the first case, the exhibition of artworks has the sale of them as one of its goals. As a result, the art gallery is more of a commercial enterprise. Different galleries work with different artists. The gallery is basically the dealer representing, supporting, and distributing the artworks of the artists. However, bear in mind that not all galleries are the same. There are different types of art galleries working each of which has a specific functioning procedure. Read below for some of our best recommendations for art galleries.
1. Art galleries that you should visit at least once in your life: Gagosian
The Gagosian Gallery was first founded in 1980 by Leo Castelli in Los Angeles. Since then, the gallery has produced great quality shows over the years. Today, the gallery has seventeen locations all over the world. It covers over 20.000 square meters of space and has a staff of over 300 employees. There are galleries in New York, London, Beverly Hills, Paris, Le Bourget, Geneva, Basel, Rome, Athens, and Hong Kong. The Gagosian has had a key role in the art world for many years. They have established themselves as the leading gallery when it comes to the digital marketplace. Along with everything else they have also established a publishing house, with over 500 publications, their Gagosian magazine, and other cultural programs.
They have worked with loads of artists over the years and their exhibitions have been exceptional. Some of them are Georg Baselitz, Gerhard Richter, John Currin, Anselm Kiefer, Damien Hirst, Andreas Gursky, Jenny Saville, Y.Z. Kami, Jeff Koons, Richard Prince, Jeff Wall, Rudolf Stingel, and many more. The Gagosian Gallery is definitely one of the art galleries that you should visit at least once in your life. Don’t lose your chance to be one of the thousands of visitors that enjoy the exhibitions every year.
2. Hauser & Wirth
The second art gallery that you should visit at least once in your life is definitely Hauser & Wirth. Iwan Wirth, Manuele Wirth and Ursula Hauser first established Hauser & Wirth in 1992 in Zurich, Switzerland. In the last thirty years, it has expanded and nowadays has fifteen gallery locations all over the world. You can find two galleries in New York and Somerset and a gallery in London, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, St. Moritz, Zurich, Gstaad, Rämistrasse, Southampton, Menorca, Monaco, and Chilida Leku.
A unique aspect of Hauser & Wirth’s is their gallery locations. Instead of building new spaces for their exhibitions, they restore historical buildings and use them as such. In this way, they are connecting contemporary art with history. The gallery represents an incredible selection of over eighty artists. Some of them are Berlinde De Bruyckere, Nicole Eisenman, Isa Genzken, Roni Horn, Anri Sala, Wilhelm Sasnal, Zeng Fhanzi, or the estates of Philip Guston, Louise Bourgeois, Allan Kaprow, Hans Arp, Günther Förg and Arshile Gorski. Hauser & Wirth, the distinction between an art gallery and a museum seems to fade. The gallery has become bigger than most museums and today is the second biggest art gallery in the world.
3. Pace Gallery
Third, on our list is Pace Gallery. It was first founded in 1960 by Arne Glimcher in Boston and is currently directed by his son Marc. Since the 1960’s the gallery has expanded in nine locations across the globe. Some of them are spaces in London, Geneva, Palo Alto, Hong Kong, Seoul, East Hampton, Palm Beach, and New York. It is supposed to expand again with a larger space in London. With that amount of space, its exhibitions cover over 15.000 square meters and its staff includes 150 international employees.
Pace Gallery is known for representing some of the most important contemporary artists of the last two centuries. Except for these exhibitions, the gallery also has spaces dedicated exclusively to photography and tech-focused art. The American department of the gallery features artists such as Christo, Chuck Close, Nigel Cooke, Adrian Ghenie, Paul Graham, David Hockney, JR, Jeff Koons, Li Songsong, Agnes Martin, and others.
4. Art galleries that you should visit at least once in your life: David Zwirner
Last but not least we recommend you visit the David Zwirner gallery when you get the chance. David Zwirner himself opened his first gallery in 1993 in New York. Today he has galleries in six locations across three continents. These locations include New York, London, Paris, and Hong Kong. All these locations cover around 14.000 square meters and have over 150 employees. The list of artists they represent is very impressive. Some of them include Francis AlĂżs, Marlene Dumas, Barbara Kruger, Neo Rauch, Luc Tuymans, Thomas Ruff, Wolfgang Tillmans, and many more.
The artists mentioned above can be considered as the superstars of the art space and the prices of their works are quite high. Despite this fact, the David Zwirner gallery also participates and has launched multiple philanthropic efforts over the years. Some of them include the I Love NY Art Benefit, Artists for Haiti, and the Acria Unframed. Auction. It is currently the fourth biggest gallery in the world and it is very close to being in the top three.
