Lockdown-related travel restrictions over the past year have led to burgeoning art scenes in wealthy but formerly low-key enclaves like the Hamptons, Aspen, and Palm Beach. And now Collectors can add Monaco to that list with news that mega-gallery Hauser and WIrth will open a new space on the Côte d’Azur on June 19.
The gallery will kick things off with a solo show of work by Louise Bourgeois, titled “Maladie de l’Amour,” which runs through September 25. One of the artist’s most famous sculptures from her “Spider” series, a bronze arachnid measuring over nine feet tall, will be installed in the gardens adjacent to the gallery.
The new gallery features a skylit exhibition space of more than 3,000 square feet. The Monaco space will occupy the lower levels of a building designed by Rogers Stirj Harbour + Partners that is owned by the Société des Bains de Mer, a business oversight group, according to a statement from the gallery.Selldorf Architects, which has previously designed spaces for the gallery in New York and beyond, converted the Monaco gallery.
Installation view of Louis Bourgeois “Maladie de l’Amour’” at Hauser and Wirth Monaco. Image courtesy Hauser and Wirth Gallery.
‘When we were invited to play a part in the continuing revival of the art scene in Monaco we saw that it offered an exceptional opportunity to present our artists in the heart of the city, engaging with the vibrant contemporary scene across the south of France and strengthening our European presence,” said gallery president Iwan Wirth in a statement. Monaco was formerly a destination for artists, writers, and filmmakers, he noted, “who were as captivated as we have been by the Côte d’Azur.”
The gallery operates spaces in New York, Southampton, London, Somerset, Menorca, St. Moitz, Zurich, Hong Kong, and Los Angeles (and it recently announced a second location in West Hollywood in addition to its downtown space and restaurant).
“It’s exciting to be opening our doors in Monaco just as it comes back to life, in a moment when engagement with the arts is taking brand new energy here. For us, launching the space with the work of Louise Bourgeois – so central to our gallery’s history and ethos, and yet so relevant today – is our way to connect Hauser & Wirth’s culture to that of a place where we are meeting the future and building new relationships,” gallery president Marc Payot told Artnet News via email.
The art scene appears to be heating up in the French Riviera city. In his recent Artnet News column, veteran auctioneer Simon de Pury explained his passion for Monaco and its ongoing allure. And, as Artnet News reported yesterday, dealer Johann König is opening a showroom on Monaco’s Villa Nuvola on June 18. The space will be a cross-section of the gallery’s roster of international artists. And Sotheby’s, which is selling the art collection of Karl Lagerfeld later this year, chose Monaco as the site of the sale.
Meanwhile, Christie’s is organizing a selling exhibition in Monte-Carlo from July 3-18 at Cipriani, featuring contemporary art and jewelry. Monaco office directo Nancy Dotta is overseeing the event.