Xavier Hufkens

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Xavier Hufkens gallery is the eponymous contemporary art gallery of Belgian art dealer Xavier Hufkens (b. 1965).[1] Located at 6 rue St-Georges and 107 rue St-Georges in Brussels, the gallery represents an international roster of some thirty emerging, mid-career and established artists, as well as a number of estates.

History[]

The origins of the gallery date back to 1987, when Xavier Hufkens opened his first gallery on the Parvis de Saint-Gilles in Brussels. Hufkens has stated that his desire to run an art gallery dates back to his teenage years.[2] During the late 1980s, showed with Hufkens, as did British sculptor Antony Gormley,[3] whom the gallery continues to represent.

The gallery relocated to a town house in the Brussels district of Ixelles in 1992. Now home to a number of established and upcoming art galleries, the area was almost exclusively residential in the early 1990s.[4] The move was not an obvious one at the time: the Belgian art world still revolved around Antwerp,[5] while the Brussels galleries tended to be based in the up-and-coming districts around the canals or along the fashionable Antoine Dansaertstraat. Belgian architects Paul Robbrecht and Hilde Daem (), working in partnership with Marie-José Van Hee (MJoseVanHee Architecten), were responsible for the conversion of the house into an art gallery.[6] Landscape architect Jacques Wirtz designed the garden, which is often used to display sculpture. Félix Gonzalez-Torres (1957–1996) held his first exhibition in Europe with Xavier Hufkens in 1991. Four years later, Louise Bourgeois (1911–2010) showed with the gallery – an exhibition that would lead to a fifteen-year collaboration.[3] The estate is still affiliated with the gallery. The gallery's long-standing relationship with Belgian artist Thierry De Cordier also dates back to the 1990s.

Hufkens expanded the gallery further by annexing the adjacent property in 1997. This expanded exhibition programme coincided with the additional representation of a number of established artists from Belgium and abroad, including Richard Artschwager, Roni Horn and Jan Vercruysse.

A number of new artists have joined the gallery since the turn of the millennium, including Sterling Ruby, David Altmejd, Jack Pierson and Cris Brodahl. This period of the gallery's history is also defined by a number of landmark exhibitions. In 2000, Xavier Hufkens presented Robert Ryman's first solo exhibition in Belgium since the 1970s.[7] George Condo had his first solo exhibition in Belgium with the gallery in 2006.

In recent years the gallery has continued to expand its roster with artists such as Tracey Emin, Paul McCarthy, Walter Swennen, and Zhang Enli. As a response to a growing desire for greater flexibility in terms of programming, Xavier Hufkens opened a new 300 sq. metre space in 2013 at 107 rue St-Georges.[8] Based in a commercial shopping centre dating back to the mid-1970s, the space was converted into a gallery by Swiss architect Harry Gugger. A partner of Herzog and De Meuron until 2009, Gugger was one of the architects responsible for the conversion of Tate Modern, London. The gallery works actively with museums and public institutions, particularly in the field of exhibitions.

Artists[]

Among others, Xavier Hufkens has been representing the following living artists:

In addition to living artists, Xavier Hufkens also handles the estates of the following:

References[]

  1. ^ Nicolai Hartvig (July 22, 2011), The Cozy Chaos of the Brussels Art World International Herald Tribune.
  2. ^ "Initiartmagazine". Initiartmagazine.com. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 23 December 2015.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. ^ "Xavier Hufkens: Brussels' Arbiter of Art". Artsy.net. 15 April 2014. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  5. ^ "The big gamble: art dealer Xavier Hufkens". Xpats.com. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  6. ^ Dubois, M. (1993), 'Een galerie-woning; Paul Robbrecht en Hilde Daem: verbouwing galerie Hufkens / Art Gallery and dwelling’, Archis, no. 2, Feb. pp.56–57; Bekaert, G. (1996), Hedendaagse architectuur in België, Tielt: Lannoo; Swimberghe, P. (1998), Brussels: The Art of Living, New York: Stewart, Tabori & Chang;
  7. ^ "Robert Ryman - Xavier Hufkens". Xavierhufkens.com. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  8. ^ "Galeriehouder Xavier Hufkens: 'Mijn verzameling is één groot zelfportret'". Brusselnieuws.be. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  9. ^ Sarah Douglas (March 29, 2021), Painter Joe Bradley Departs Gagosian, Joins Petzel Gallery and Xavier Hufkens ARTnews.
  10. ^ Sources: George Condo, Whose Paintings Sell for Up to $6 M. at Auction, In Talks to Join Hauser & Wirth Gallery ARTnews, December 12, 2019.
  11. ^ "Coming Into Form – THOMAS HOUSEAGO - 032c Workshop". 032c.com. 6 March 2013. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  12. ^ Alex Greenberger (August 2, 2017), Sherrie Levine Is Now Represented by Xavier Hufkens ARTnews.
  13. ^ Alex Greenberger (June 26, 2019), Hauser & Wirth Takes on Fast-Rising Artist Nicolas Party ARTnews.
  14. ^ Andrew Russeth (June 6, 2018), White Cube Now Reps Danh Vo ARTnews.
  15. ^ Nate Freeman (April 28, 2017), Gladstone Gallery Now Represents the Estate of Robert Mapplethorpe ARTnews.
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