Pace has announced plans to move into a larger space in London next fall, leaving behind its gallery inside the Royal Academy building and more than doubling its footprint in the city.
Pace’s new address, at 4 Hanover Square, will be familiar to many in the art world as the former London headquarters of Blain Southern, which went bankrupt in February. Pace, which currently has locations in seven cities, plans to renovate the substantially larger, 8,600-square-foot Mayfair location with Jamie Fobert Architects. The firm, which Pace worked with for its first London location on Lexington Street, will add 1,000 square feet of space to the gallery. It will create a public venue in the basement that connects via an open-concept steel staircase to the main-floor galleries, resulting in an integrated space for large-scale projects and “experimental” programming.
The first Pace Live event outside of New York will take place at the gallery when it opens in 2021, coinciding with its 10th anniversary in London.
Marc Glimcher, the president and CEO of Pace, says he is “thrilled” about the move, which shows the gallery’s “expanding ambition for Pace in Europe.”
While galleries such as Marian Goodman have abandoned London for Paris due to concerns over Brexit, which is due to take place on January 1, Glimcher is doubling down on his commitment to the city. “This is a time for investment and faith” in London, he says. “Its role as a cultural hub remains undisputed given the number of world-class institutions on its turf, and even staring into the face of Brexit I am convinced that London will remain an economic capital of Europe and a crucial center for the art market.”
The expansion news comes on the heels of an Artnet News investigation detailing accusations that Pace has been operating a “toxic” workplace for years. Following our report, the gallery announced it would carry out an investigation into two of its top presidents, one of whom, Douglas Baxter, is now taking a leave of absence.
The new gallery will replace Pace’s current home at 6 Burlington Gardens, in a space shared with London’s Royal Academy, where it has resided since 2012. Pace currently operates spaces in Geneva, New York, Palo Alto, Hong Kong, and Seoul, in addition to what it calls “seasonal” galleries in East Hampton and Palm Beach.