Sterling Ruby, Hauser & Wirth, EXHM Exterior View. Image courtesy of Sterling Ruby Studio - Hauser & Wirth, London via Wikimedia Commons.

Iwan Wirth, President and co-founder of the internationally acclaimed modern and contemporary art gallery Hauser & Wirth, announced that the company will build a permanent home in New York City’s west Chelsea arts district. One of the most sought-after locations in New York, Chelsea is brimming with top-notch galleries, including David Zwirner Gallery, Paul Kasmin Gallery, Andrea Rosen Gallery, Marianne Boesky Gallery, and Lehmann Maupin. This new venue will replace Hauser & Wirth’s current temporary downtown gallery, which will continue to host exhibitions and various programs until its lease expires in 2017. The 7,400-square-foot, multi-level space will complement Hauser & Wirth’s townhouse on East 69th Street.

The new Hauser & Wirth  gallery will be designed by Annabelle Selldorf of Selldorf Architects, who has worked with the gallery since the 1990s on its various locations in Zurich, London, and New York. The Chelsea gallery will be Hauser & Wirth’s first purpose-built location -- the company’s other venues occupy existing and often historic buildings, including an eighteenth-century English farmhouse, an historic Sir Edwin Lutyens-designed bank, and an old brewery. Wirth said, “'After eight years of searching for a permanent downtown home in New York City, we are delighted to announce West 22nd Street as our future address. It has been our long-held dream to construct an original new building of our own - the first we have ever undertaken in our 20-year history. On 22nd Street we plan to craft the great variety of spaces ideal for presenting the full range or our artists' works, and to expand our capabilities as a cultural and social destination in one of the world's most dynamic and creative cities.”

Founded in Zurich, Hauser & Wirth  focuses on significant contemporary artists as well as historical surveys and thematic group exhibitions. The gallery represents over fifty emerging and established artists, including Rita Ackermann, Mark Bradford, Roni Horn, Pierre Huyghe, Paul McCarthy, and Sterling Ruby. The gallery also represents a number of artist estates, including those of of Eva Hesse, Dieter Roth, the Henry Moore Family Collection, and, most recently, the Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts. 

Hauser & Wirth is currently working on launching a multidisciplinary arts center in partnership with Paul Schimmel, a respected curator, in downtown Los Angeles. Operating under the name Hauser Wirth & Schimmel, the joint venture will transform a 100,000-square-foot flour mill complex into a contemporary art mecca. The complex is expected to open in 2016. Hauser & Wirth’s Chelsea gallery is expected to open in 2018.