Lévy Gorvy debuts its third location this week. The new Hong Kong space joins stunning sites in London and New York. The opening coincides with Art Basel Hong Kong, allowing the gallery to deepen its connection to Pan-Asian artists and clientele.
Whitewaller Hong Kong spoke with Lévy Gorvy’s Brett Gorvy about the inaugural show “Return to Nature,” as well as his hopes for the gallery’s newest home.
WHITEWALLER: Can you tell us about the inaugural show set to open Lévy Gorvy’s new Hong Kong space?
BRETT GORVY: Opening March 26, “Return to Nature” will examine the ideas of inherited tradition, materiality of nature, and the mystery of spirituality that artists throughout the history of eastern and western art come back to in times of moral, cultural, and political crisis. The exhibition will include works by Wassily Kandinsky, Wu Dayu, Claude Monet, Yan Wenliang, Zao Wou-Ki, Joan Mitchell, Agnes Martin, Pat Steir, Wu Yinxian, Song Dong, and Hao Liang, among others.
WW: Why did Hong Kong make sense for the gallery’s third location, adding to London and New York?
BG: Hong Kong will serve as the third pillar of Lévy Gorvy’s worldwide business, equal in stature and focus to our headquarters in New York and London. The opening of our Asia headquarters with this unique Hong Kong space further formalizes our commitment to this incredibly important region. It is a constantly expanding and growing market of very sophisticated collectors who enjoy engagement with a gallery that is both international and at the same time very focused on the needs and perspectives of a Pan-Asian clientele. Our location in Central allows us to deepen these relationships, showcase masterworks optimally, and provide bespoke services to a whole range of collectors in this dynamic center.
WW: Can you tell us about what we can expect from the design of the space in St. George’s Building? What was the vision of Bill Katz?
BG: We brought the same high standards that were enacted by Bill Katz for our New York location to the design of our Asia headquarters in Hong Kong. Dominique Lévy and I have very similar taste—we both wanted the clean proportions and high ceilings that define our galleries globally in order to create a space that is both welcoming to the broader public but at the same time allows for private meetings with clients. In addition to the exhibition spaces there will be viewing rooms and a fully functioning library and research center which is accessible to our clients as well.
WW: What kind of ongoing programming can we expect from the Hong Kong space?
BG: We are aiming to have two to three exhibitions per year. We want to use our space both as a platform for the artists that we represent or who we admire, but will also be focusing on the significant secondary market aspect of our business, and will concentrate on bringing the highest quality works to Hong Kong both for today’s buyers as well as to further the education of tomorrow’s collectors.
WW: The gallery already works with artists and estates like Zao Wou-ki, Seung-taek Lee, Tsuyoshi Maekawa, and Chung Sang-Hwa. Do you imagine adding more Asian artists to the roster, now that you have an exhibition space in Hong Kong?
BG: I have spent time visiting artists’ studios with my colleague Danqing Li, Lévy Gorvy’s Senior Director in Asia, and we are very excited about the current trends in Asia. We would like to use our Hong Kong gallery space as an exciting platform to showcase artists in the same model as the traditional kunstverein, whereby we invite artists and other gallerists to collaborate with us to bring the best of 20th and 21st century art to an Asian audience.
WW: In addition to this exciting new opening, what are you looking forward to seeing and doing this year during Art Basel Hong Kong?
BG: Dominique has been participating in Art Basel Hong Kong since its first year in 2013. We have great expectations for the fair as a major forum to meet collectors and to showcase a cross section of works by both Asian and Western artists. We hope to build on our presence from the last few years and to be part of the exciting development of the Asian market through this important vehicle. As the leading fair in the region, Art Basel is an incredible draw for collectors and museum curators from around the world.
