Hauser and Wirth expands with new gallery in Paris
Hauser and Wirth, the famed Zurich-born art gallery, has announced its inaugural gallery opening in Paris in the run-up to the Paris+ par Art Basel fair. The opening is hosted in a former decorative arts gallery, ‘La Maison Decour’ from the 1940s, in the salubrious 8th arrondissement.
The newest Hauser and Wirth location is submerged within cultural Parisian landmarks, at 26 bis rue François. The gallery honoured its historical location by using locally sourced materials in France to restore the grandiose six-metre ceiling to design a haven for creatives to integrate into the Parisian art scene.
While conserving its authentic setting, Hauser and Wirth will enliven the gallery featuring the covetable LA-based artist Henry Taylor for the opening exhibition. His multi-disciplinary practice redefines spontaneous human observation and will undoubtedly be a source of adrenaline injected into Paris’ art ecosystem. The exhibition will include unseen works produced during Taylor’s residency in Paris throughout June and July.
Additionally, Taylor’s opening show at Hauser and Wirth accompanies his career survey at the Whitney Museum in New York, which will be exhibited from October 4th, 2023, to January 2024.
Along with the new gallery, Hauser and Wirth have appointed Séverine Waelchi to join as Senior Director in France and Monaco. Waelchi’s master studies in art history at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, were followed by her prolific career as an art dealer. She has worked at the Sprüth Magers Gallery, the Yvon Lambert Gallery and then at Thaddaeus Ropac Gallery.
President Marc Payot stated: “Paris is home to a uniquely sophisticated public, an incredible concentration of outstanding museums, and a community of ambitious, astute collectors and patrons”.
While reassuring the public about the integration of the gallery within Paris, he added: “The gallery will establish meaningful local partnerships to create an inclusive learning program as an integral part of the presence in Paris”.
Hauser and Wirth’s new roots revitalise the continent promising an influential post-Brexit art scene in France.
