Edel Assanti is opening a second space in London, joining a cluster of contemporary art galleries around Christie\u2019s headquarters in St. James\u2019s. \u201cWe wanted an intimate space that would contrast with our Fitzrovia gallery, which is generous in size and presents four ambitious exhibitions a year,\u201d says co-founder and director Jeremy Epstein. He says they expect to mount about eight shows a year in the new space.<\/p>\n
Art fairs, he says, \u201care an important part of our strategy, so we could have taken a decision to increase the number in which we participate, however as exhibitions are consistently our most successful sales platform, we wanted to explore how we could develop that aspect of the gallery.\u201d<\/p>\n
The smaller size of 11 Bury Street\u2014450 sq ft versus Fitzrovia\u2019s 4,000 sq ft\u2014dictates more \u201csnapshot\u201d exhibitions, \u201cwith the ability to be nimble with our programme,\u201d says co-founder and director Charlie Fellowes. The opening show, of swirling paintings on quilts by American artist Lonnie Holley, will have just three works, priced at $55,000 each, and made during a residency at the Elaine de Kooning House in East Hampton, New York in 2020-21. Their showing coincides with the artist\u2019s recent commissioned presentation for the Castello di Rivoli in Turin, which includes two more recent quilt paintings.<\/p>\n
Future shows could highlight other artists with coinciding museum exhibitions or could include having the same artist across both venues. \u201cFleet of footedness\u201d is the name of the game, Fellowes says.<\/p>\n
While they considered farther-flung locations, \u201cLondon has no shortage of pools of potential collectors and patrons who are curious to engage with art. We feel galleries have a key role to play in cultivating the prospective new audiences on our doorstep,\u201d Fellowes says.The decision to double up in the capital is proving something of a market trend, and follows the likes of Sadie Coles and Maureen Paley, who added to their London spaces last year.<\/p>\n
The Edel Assanti duo acknowledges the challenging conditions of the wider market but, Fellowes says, \u201cwe are finding in our experience, across both seasoned collectors and the newer generation, that there isn’t necessarily a shortage of resources, it\u2019s simply that people are more methodical and selective about what they choose to acquire.\u201d The dynamic is best served through \u201cthe deeper context afforded by gallery exhibitions,\u201d Epstein says.<\/p>\n
The new space, neighbouring The Mayor Gallery, will have a soft opening at the end of this month, with its official launch pegged to London Gallery Weekend (which Epstein co-founded) on 5 June. Lonnie Holley: Coming Through the Doors runs until 3 July.<\/p>\n