Opera Gallery has opened a new gallery in the heart of London’s historic Mayfair neighbourhood, at 65-66 New Bond Street on November 23, 2023.
Spanning over 500 square metres, the new space is double the size of Opera’s previous gallery on 134 New Bond Street, allowing them to exhibit across three floors, as well as an adjoining Medici Courtyard to present large-scale sculptural works. The opening of the new gallery swiftly follows the appointment of art market veteran, Isabelle de La Bruyère, to the newly created role of CEO for Opera Group, after spending many years as Head of Chairman’s Office & Client Advisory for the EMEA region at Christie’s. Isabelle will run Opera’s global gallery network, which has 16 locations in cities including New York, Paris and Singapore.
Opera Gallery will debut with an ambitious group exhibition, Untitled Rencontres, featuring a collection of Modern Masters including artists such as Pablo Picasso, Fernardo Botero, Marc Chagall, Nicholas De Staël, Paul Delvaux, Jean Dubuffet, Lucio Fontana, Hans Hartung, Yayoi Kusama, Fernand Léger, René Magritte, Georges Mathieu, Joan Miró, Serge Poliakoff, Jean Paul Riopelle, Pierre Soulages, Kees van Dongen, Andy Warhol, Niki de Saint Phalle and Manolo Valdés. The exhibition will also include specific presentations by Opera Gallery’s represented artists, Ron Arad, a British-Israeli designer, artist and architect, and Andy Denzler, a Swiss painter. Both artists will unveil new works for this exhibition.
With this exhibition, Opera Gallery commemorates art’s unique ability to facilitate human connections, transcending time and place. Untitled Rencontres highlights Opera’s diverse cultural identity, merging its French roots with its longstanding presence in London. It stands as a symbol of the dynamic coexistence of various cultures and perspectives that shape and enrich the gallery’s approach to contemporary art.
Experimentation
In the Medici Courtyard, two Manolo Valdés sculptures, Infanta Margarita will adorn the space, and the ground floor of the new gallery space will feature the collection of Modern Masters.
Across the first floor will be a special presentation of work by Ron Arad. Demonstrating his ongoing experimentation with raw materials such as steel, aluminium or polyamide, which he often distorts into sinusoidal, elliptical and oval forms, the exhibition will include some important examples of the artists’ work from the 1980s and his iconic crystalline Big Easy pieces. Arad’s presentation will focus on a series of new artworks made in collaboration with artisans from Dakar, Senegal. These works – America Made in Africa, Salam Sofa and Don’t Ya Tell Henri – are handcrafted using the metal from oil drums. Five percent of the proceeds from the sale of Ron’s piece America Made in Africa will be also donated to the medical humanitarian organisation, Médecins Sans Frontières.
Andy Denzler’s presentation will feature across the lower ground floor. Denzler is known for his distinct style that blends painting and digital manipulation techniques to produce artworks that stand out for their ‘glitch’ aesthetic. The exhibition will showcase a mixture of new and older artworks, with human figures remaining at the core of his explorations. His new works explore the interplay of figures and interiors in space, which come together on the canvas like a collage. With this new body of work, Denzler aims to capture scenes in space that transcend time, juxtaposing vintage furniture within a contemporary context, thereby making the images appear timeless.
Commitment
Opera Gallery’s new space extends its commitment to Mayfair, London’s nexus for art and luxury, and home to the city’s most important galleries and auction houses. Establishing its presence in London in 2004 at 134 New Bond Street, Opera’s original location hosted notable exhibitions by artists such as Hermann Nitsch, Manolo Valdés, Anthony James, and Cho Sung He.
In September 2023, Isabelle de La Bruyère was appointed as the first CEO of Opera Gallery, by Founder and Chairman Gilles Dyan. On the new space Isabelle commented, “London is home to some of the most important art institutions in the world, and the cultural influence and creative spirit of the city has been captivating to artists and collectors alike for centuries. We are thrilled to continue our tenure on New Bond Street and expand our presence in Mayfair with a larger space where we will continue contributing to and building upon the artistic legacy of the city through the presentation of thought-provoking exhibitions and programming in this historic space.”
Opera Gallery Founder and Chairman Gilles Dyan added, “As we unveil our new, larger space in the heart of London, we mark a significant milestone in Opera Gallery’s journey in this great city that began nearly twenty years ago.”
Commenting on the new artworks in his show, Ron Arad added: “I am filled with excitement for this Opera Gallery show as it features artworks I have not seen in a long time and some that I have never touched before. Over the past year, I have dedicated myself to daily and intensive online collaboration with amazing artisans in Dakar, and I can’t wait to see and touch the artworks for real.”
Worldwide
Housed in a Queen Anne style townhouse with original arched sash windows, the new gallery spans over 560 square metres across the basement, ground, and first floor. The space was once occupied by Hook, Knowles & Co, a renowned shoemaker from the late 19th and early 20th century, whose clientele included The Royal Family and Winston Churchill, a former tenant of the space.
Founded by Gilles Dyan in 1994 and internationally established with galleries and locations worldwide, Opera Gallery is one of the leading dealers in Modern and Contemporary European, American and Asian art, placing works in major private collections and leading public institutions. Opera Gallery has 16 galleries worldwide in New York, Miami, Bal Harbour, Aspen, London, Paris, Monaco, Geneva, Dubai, Beirut, Hong Kong, Singapore, Seoul, and Madrid.
See also: Drop Shadows at Sims Reed Gallery
