New York, 8 October 2012––Lehmann Maupin Gallery will open its first international exhibition space in the historic Pedder Building, one of Hong Kong’s most iconic buildings. Located at No. 12 Pedder Street, in the heart of Hong Kong’s Central district, the neo-classical building was constructed in 1923 and is the last surviving pre-war building on the block. For nearly eighty years, the Pedder Building has been a hub for cultural commerce, and today, it is home to some of Hong Kong’s most established art galleries. Lehmann Maupin has retained world-renowned architect Rem Koolhaas and his firm OMA to renovate the gallery space and offices.
Of Lehmann Maupin’s decision to branch out internationally, founding partners Rachel Lehmann and David Maupin said, “We have conducted business in Asia for well over a decade. The gallery is deeply committed to the region and to the vital relationships we have established with artists, curators, and collectors. For us, it was a natural decision to open a gallery in Hong Kong, one that will allow us to continue to strengthen and build upon these relationships and to offer more localized support to our artists.”
Lehmann Maupin’s long-standing commitment to presenting the best contemporary artists working today extends to a diverse group of Asian artists hailing from Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and Mainland China. In 2000, the gallery organized the first exhibition of Do Ho Suh’s work in the United States. Since that time, Lehmann Maupin has presented solo exhibitions of Lee Bul, Rei Sato, and Jun Nguyen-Hatsushiba and introduced New York audiences to the work of Mr. and Suling Wang. In June, the gallery announced representation of the Chinese artist Liu Wei, whose work will be on view for the first time at the gallery’s booth (F-12) during the Frieze Art Fair in London. Liu Wei will also be the subject of his first solo exhibition in the United States at Lehmann Maupin, New York this February 2013.
The gallery will inaugurate its Hong Kong exhibition program in early spring 2013 with a solo exhibition of one of its Asian artists. A second exhibition, curated by Hervé Mikaeloff exploring the various ways in which Eastern and Western artists utilize language in their work, will coincide with Art Basel in Hong Kong.
Courtney Plummer, a ten-year veteran of the gallery and a partner since 2008, will direct the gallery’s operations in Hong Kong. After years of traveling extensively for the gallery, Plummer recognized the importance of establishing a permanent exhibition space in Asia: “Hong Kong has proven to be the perfect crossroads of culture and commerce, and we view our commitment to and immersion in the Asian market as a critical step in ensuring our artists’ long-term success.”
The renovation project marks Lehmann Maupin’s third collaboration with Pritzker-prize winning architect Rem Koolhaas and OMA. In 1996, OMA was charged with redesigning the gallery’s first location at 39 Greene Street in New York’s SoHo neighborhood. Six years later, when Lehmann Maupin moved to it’s current home at 540 West 26th Street in Chelsea, the firm oversaw the redesign of the 6,000plus square-foot space. OMA is responsible for a number of prestigious projects throughout Asia, including the CCTV Headquarters in Beijing, Shenzhen Stock Exchange, Taipei Performing Arts Center, and Samsung Child Education & Culture Center, Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art, Seoul.
ABOUT LEHMANN MAUPIN GALLERY
Since its establishment nearly two decades ago, Lehmann Maupin has identified and cultivated the careers of an international roster of visionary and historically significant artists. The gallery has garnered a reputation for supporting artists working in new and challenging forms; artists’ whose work has had a lasting impact on contemporary art and culture. Working closely with curators and leading intellectuals in the field, Lehmann Maupin is committed to presenting its artists on an international level and to firmly establishing their contributions to art history in the 21st century and beyond.
Lehmann Maupin has given some of contemporary art’s most respected artists their first one-person exhibitions in New York, including Tracey Emin, Anya Gallaccio, Shirazeh Houshiary, Klara Kristolova, Liu Wei, Do Ho Suh, Juergen Teller, and Adriana Varejão. In addition, the gallery has highlighted emerging talents, such as Mickalene Thomas, Hernan Bas, Angel Otero, and the Japanese artist Mr., by organizing important solo exhibitions around the world and presenting their work at prominent international art fairs. Lehmann Maupin’s program also includes Stefano Arienti, Ashley Bickerton, Ross Bleckner, Billy Childish, Mary Corse, Teresita Fernández, Gilbert & George, Lee Bul, Jun Nguyen-Hatsushiba, Tony Oursler, Robin Rhode, Tim Rollins and K.O.S., Rei Sato, Jennifer Steinkamp, Suling Wang, Nari Ward, Erwin Wurm, and Mario Ybarra, Jr.
Founded by partners Rachel Lehmann and David Maupin, Lehmann Maupin first opened in SoHo in October 1996, and in September 2002, moved to its present location in Chelsea. A second New York gallery space opened in late 2007 in Manhattan’s new cultural hub, the Lower East Side.
Saving...