Prestige Hong Kong – Art Basel
CORNERING THE MARKET
Lévy Gorvy makes a commitment to Asia
HONG KONG’S REPUTATION as an international art hub, whether you agree with it or not, has much to do with Art Basel and its role as an entry point for galleries looking to open an outpost in Asia. This year, one of the fair’s longstanding exhibitors is taking the leap and will unveil a 2,500-square-foot space in Central’s historic St George’s Building.
“The gallery’s connection to the region began with its participation in the first Art Basel Hong Kong fair in 2013 with a stand focusing on Andy Warhol’s Dollar Sign paintings, and we’ve returned every year since,” says Danqing Li, senior director, Asia, for Lévy Gorvy. “The opening of our Asia headquarters further formalises Lévy Gorvy’s long-term commitment to this incredibly important region. It’s a constantly expanding and growing market of very sophisticated collectors who enjoy engagement with a gallery that’s both international and at the same time very focused on the needs and perspectives of an Asian clientele.”
Established by respected Swiss art dealer Dominique Lévy and former Christie’s chairman Brett Gorvy when they joined forces in 2017, Lévy Gorvy specialises in modern, post-war and contemporary art. It maintains gallery spaces in New York and London, both of which are also located in landmark buildings.
Its Hong Kong space, which was designed by Bill Katz in collaboration with HS2 Architecture, is to be inaugurated in conjunction with this year’s Art Basel. It continues the gallery’s mission to provide bespoke services to collectors while pursuing a “robust programme of exhibitions and multidisciplinary events”.
“We’ll have a balance of showcasing 20th-century masterpieces, along with curated contemporary exhibitions. Whether a collector, an artist or an art lover, we want visitors to feel the relevance of the exhibitions and for our programming to stimulate thought and discussion,” Li says.
In addition to representing artists such as Enrico Castellani, Chung Sang-Hwa, Seung-Taek Lee, Karin Schneider and Frank Stella, Lévy Gorvy specialises in private sales in the secondary market with a focus on works by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Alexander Calder, Willem de Kooning, Roy Lichtenstein, Pablo Picasso, Cy Twombly, Andy Warhol and other important 20thcentury and contemporary artists.
Its inaugural Hong Kong show presents works that speak to the entanglement of the human and natural worlds. “Return to Nature presents a lineage of Eastern and Western artists (including the late Chinese oil painter Wu Dayu) who have returned to an essence: the calm assurance of ancestral roots and inherited traditions, the vibrant materiality of the natural realm, or the existential mysteries of spirituality,” Li says.
“Featuring works made during the 19th century and through to the present day, the artists have responded to times of moral, cultural and economic crisis not by joining in human chaos and clamour, but by pursuing a reality that’s seemingly more solid and unified than our own. Instead of seeing the affairs of humankind and the workings of nature as separate, they forge an intimate merging of the two.”
With distinctive 3.5-metre-high ceilings and private viewing rooms, as well as its strong history of research and original scholarship, Lévy Gorvy is likely to become a prime destination for collectors in the region and beyond.
“Asia has its own deep cultural roots and history of art appreciation. It has been challenged or influenced by globalisation — some have embraced this, and some have resisted. But collectors learn very fast and make efforts to educate themselves,” Li notes. “It will be our honour to grow with them and help them build their own legacy of collecting art.”