1. David Zwirner
Location: New York
Artists Represented: Marlene Dumas, Chris Ofili, Karin Mamma Andersson
David Zwirner has set the standard for showing contemporary art, from important Minimalist works to time-based media for two decades. They fostered the careers of some of the most important artists working today, such as Luc Tuymans and Neo Rauch. Although this blue-chip gallery carries big names that demand big prices, they also recently helped raise $13.7 million for Artists for Haiti.
2. Gagosian
Location: Worldwide
Artists Represented: Damien Hirst, Yayoi Kusama, John Currin
Since 1979, Gagosian has produced museum-quality shows with museum-quality artists, usually before museums catch on. The ongoing popularity of this successful space means that you might have to wait in line, but unlike other crowded spots in hip, international neighborhoods, it’s always worth the wait
3. Emmanuel Perrotin
Location: Paris and Hong Kong
Artists Represented: Sophie Calle, MR., KAWS
Emmanuel Perrotin began his career as an art dealer at the tender age of 21. Lucky for this kid, he had a keen eye for early promise, introducing Paris and most of the world to heavy-hitters like Takashi Murakami and Maurizio Cattlelan. Twenty-some years later, he still represents the artists who put his gallery on the map, adding fresh faces like Colombian video and installation artist Ivan Argote.
4. Hauser & Wirth
Location: London, New York, and Zurich
Artists Represented: Louise Bourgeois, Paul McCarthy, Rashid Johnson
By 2009, the New York scene had long awaited the opening of Hauser & Wirth’s American location, dying to get a piece of this international powerhouse. That same year, the gallery launched an outdoor sculpture program in London and soon began renovating their space in their Zurich home base. For twenty years, their restless energy has created exciting exhibitions, performances, happenings, environments, and more. They constantly challenge our ideas of what a “show” can be.
5. White Cube
Location: London
Artists Represented: Tracey Emin, Gilbert & George, Marc Quinn
One of the first galleries to exhibit the now legendary Young British Artists (YBAs), White Cube continues to provide a platform for new talent. A true blue-chip gallery, they also still represent big-name artists in all media, and their museum-quality shows are complemented by educational programs, artist lectures, and films.
6. Pace
Location: Multiple locations, New York
Artists Represented: Chuck Close, David Hockney, Kiki Smith
Pace Gallery has produced hundreds of top-notch catalogues and even more exhibitions, loomed large at art fairs, and stayed on top of art world news for fifty years. In addition to representing some of the most important artists of the 20th and 21st centuries, Pace has spaces dedicated specifically to prints and to African art. Jack-of-all-Trades, master of all.
7.Jonathan LeVine
Location: New York, NY
Artists Represented: EVOL, Mario Martinez (Mars-1), Natalia Fabia, AJ Fosik
Jonathan LeVine makes a point of not limiting art to the gallery walls. Dedicated to creating an experimental space for artists with DIY attitudes, this New York favorite sets up mural projects and alternative spaces in the city, participates in national art fairs, and collaborates with galleries across the globe.
8.Gering & Lopez
Location: New York
Artists Represented: José Antonio Hernández-Díez, Todd James
Gering & López Gallery is the supergallery that emerged from the partnership between veteran art dealers Sandra Gering and Javier López in 2006. One of the few places you can see a KAWS statue next to a Dan Flavin installation, they remain strongly supportive of the established artists that they’ve known for decades while keeping up with the times.
9. Lazarides Gallery
Location: London
Artists Represented: Banksy, Ron English, Antony Micallef
Lazarides has taken over spaces in London that were formerly brothels, sex shops, and bars, changing the interior, but not the attitude. Dealing in contemporary Outsider Art, they are best known for representing some of the biggest names in guerrilla street art, but they are also home to multi-media photographers, sculptors, and even taxidermists.
10. V1 Gallery
Location: Copenhagen
Artists Represented: Dearraindrop, Peter Funch, Anika Lori
V1 has thankfully taken it upon themselves to breathe new life into the Danish art scene, introducing emerging and international artists to an area that was mostly concerned with the established and local. Most of their shows have a street art flavor, but as this innovative gallery continues to grow, anything can happen.
