Celeste Dupuy Spencer, Through the Laying of the Hands (Positively Demonic Dynamism) (2018). Courtesy the artist and Nino Mier Gallery.
Celeste Dupuy Spencer, Through the Laying of the Hands (Positively Demonic Dynamism) (2018). Courtesy of the artist and Nino Mier Gallery.

The real estate gods have been kind to Los Angeles dealer Nino Mier.

First he opened “a small intimate space” in West Hollywood in 2015. Eight months later, the space next door opened up and the gallery pounced. “We figured it was great in case we ever wanted to grow,” Mier told artnet News.

Then, this past April, a 5,000-square-foot space directly across the street, which Mier describes as “a gorgeous, ivy-covered, historic building” suddenly became available. “We weren’t even looking for anything,” he said. “But when we saw the space inside and realized how magnificent it was, it was a no-brainer.”

The exterior of the new Nino Mier Gallery.

The neighborhood is now turning into something of a gallery hub. Mier is “sandwiched between” Matthew Marks and Regen Projects, while Jeffrey Deitch is opening his new space just a few blocks away.

The gallery is inaugurating the new venue to with its second solo show for artist Celeste Dupuy-Spencer, whose narrative paintings have been drawing serious attention, including a spot in the most recent Whitney Biennial. Dupuy-Spencer’s work is also featured in the most recent edition of the Hammer Biennial in LA.

“I think the reason that Celeste has grown in popularity—besides all of the institutional attention—is that she’s dealing with subject matter in a very thoughtful and investigatory way. What’s happening in the studio is like a tour de force,” Mier said.

Celeste Dupuy-Spencer’s The River (2017). Courtesy of the artist and Marlborough Contemporary New York.

Going forward, the new space will serve as the gallery’s main venue, while the smaller spaces will host various artist projects and complementary programming. “Galleries build spaces for their artists,” Mier said. “We are growing and our artists are growing. We wanted to be able to tell them that we are growing with them.”

Mier also runs a separate space in Cologne, Germany, where he grew up, to cater to the many European artists he works with.

“Celeste Dupuy-Spencer: The Chiefest of Ten Thousand” is on view September 22-November 2 at Nino Mier, 7277 Santa Monica Boulevard.