The Parisian art dealer Kamel Mennour has announced that his eponymous gallery will open a fourth space. Next month, he’ll be settling into London’s upscale district of Mayfair.
Having established himself in the French capital over the last 15 years, Mennour will move into an intimate 60 square meter space by Parisian designer Pierre Yovanovitch at 51 Brook Street, adjacent to the famous Claridge’s hotel. According to a press release, Kamel Mennour London will mirror the program of the three existing galleries in Paris, which represent artists including Lee Ufan, Valentin Carron, Anish Kapoor, and Alicja Kwade.
“We’re excited to open a new bridge between Paris and London,” Mennour told artnet News in an email.
On October 4, French-Moroccan artist Latifa Echakhch, who Kamel Mennour will also present at Frieze London with a solo booth, will inaugurate the new London gallery with an installation.
Paris art dealer Kamel Mennour. Photo: Fabrice Seixas & Archives Kamel Mennour. Courtesy Kamel Mennour, Paris.
Mennour will have been encouraged to open up shop in the British capital by a stellar result at Frieze London last year, where the dealer reportedly sold out his booth, a solo presentation dedicated to artist Camille Henrot.
Additionally, the expansion to London also sends an encouraging signal that post “Brexit” predictions of the art market packing up and leaving Britain in favor of continental Europe are largely turning out to be false.
Kamel Mennour follows Thaddaeus Ropac to the city; according to the New York Times, Ropac signed a 15-year lease on an 18th-century Mayfair mansion for his new London gallery. Meanwhile, Almine Rech will expand and open an larger space in London’s Grosvenor Hill gallery district.
In an email to artnet News Mennour added, “Art is stronger than ‘Brexit.'”