Galerie Marguo co-founders and partners Vanessa Guo and Jean-Mathieu Martini. Courtesy of Galerie Marguo
We are thrilled to be opening a new gallery in Paris, in the Marais, in the most unexpected time of our lives. The Covid-19 crisis has impacted us all, but it has also brought about changes and opportunities we would not have otherwise foreseen.
The Chinese for crisis is 危机 Wei Ji, a two-character word with Wei meaning crisis while Ji meaning opportunity - it perfectly describes where we are now.
We recognize that, in a moment when it is difficult for collectors to travel internationally to view art, it is even more critical for us to bring the art we love to Paris, a city that is becoming increasingly important in the world of global contemporary art.
—— Vanessa Guo and Jean-Mathieu Martini, co-founders and partners of Galerie Marguo
Vanessa Guo, formerly Director of Hauser & Wirth's activity in Asia, and Paris art dealer, Jean-Mathieu Martini, announced today that they are launching a brand-new gallery in Paris, Galerie Marguo, on 19 October 2020. Galerie Marguo will be inaugurated with an exhibition of new works by Shanghai-based emerging artist Zhang Yunyao, which runs through 19 December 2020. The opening will take place during Paris's art fair week to celebrate the spirit of contemporary art at one of the most tumultuous times the art world has seen.
The program at Galerie Marguo will focus on emerging artists from around the globe with a strong Franco-Chinese element, stemming from Guo's experience building artist relationships in Asia and a desire to provide greater visibility to Asian artists in Europe. Exhibitions will be presented in a 1,200 sq ft space inside of a refurbished historical military complex on Rue des Minimes in the heart of the Marais district. Sited inside of a beautiful courtyard, Galerie Marguo is only steps away from Place des Vosges and Musée Picasso, and in close proximity to The Centre Pompidou and other international galleries in an area known as the center of Parisian arts and culture.
Galerie Marguo's inaugural exhibition is Shanghai-based artist Zhang Yunyao's first solo show in Europe, featuring eighteen new works created by the artist at his Shanghai studio last year as well as in Paris this year. Zhang got stranded in Paris while traveling in early 2020 due to the initial outbreak of Covid-19 in China and subsequent spread of the pandemic in Europe. He remained steadfast, made Paris his second home and went on to create a body of new works during and after confinement which will be presented in all three spaces of the gallery.
