From Rural Portugal to Seoul, Gallerist Duarte Sequeira Is Aiming High

For the Portuguese gallerist Duarte Sequeira, “It all started with my parents.”

“My father was a doctor dissatisfied with his career and found joy in collecting antiques,” he told Artsy. “With my mother’s encouragement, they turned that passion into a gallery in the year that I was born.”

Now at the helm of the family-founded gallery—which has locations in Braga, Portugal; London; and Seoul—Sequeira is quickly earning global recognition. Yet despite his growing acclaim, he remains deeply connected to his roots, channelling his curatorial vision into spaces that resonate with both local and international communities.

Sequeira grew up surrounded by artists at his family’s gallery in Braga. Mario Sequeira, Duarte’s father, founded the gallery in 1994, bringing globally renowned artists to the then-unassuming rural town. “The gallery hosted Portugal’s first solo presentation of Andy Warhol,” Duarte recounted, “alongside exhibitions by Richard Long, Franz West, and Nan Goldin.“ The gallery also featured major group shows with works by artists including Gerhard Richter, Sigmar Polke, Georg Baselitz and Gilbert & George, establishing a reputation as a pioneering art space in a region that contained few comparable contemporary art galleries or museums.

Situated on a converted farm with a 19th-century house and former winery, the gallery is surrounded by rolling green hills and palm trees. Over the years, it evolved from a gallery to an art space that extends far beyond a traditional white cube model. The space includes a 10-hectare sculpture park populated with works by Erwin Wurm, Jean-Marie Appriou, and Vanessa da Silva, as well as a 140-square-meter project space, and a 900-square-meter main gallery designed by Portuguese architect Carvalho Araújo. The design of the galleries is minimalist, with distinct white, bold geometric shapes that create a striking contrast to the surrounding lush landscapes. It also serves as the site of a year-long artist residency, inviting international artists including Lily Kemp, Lucile Littot, and Shaina McCoy to live and work in a setting that Sequeira and his family still call home.

It might have seemed inevitable that Sequeira would follow in his father’s footsteps, but the journey wasn’t a foregone conclusion. “I wanted to carve out my own path,” he said, reflecting on his desire to explore new opportunities beyond Braga before eventually returning to his family’s gallery with a renewed vision. “I moved to London in 2014 to explore the institutional side of the art world. Portugal didn’t have the vibrant artist communities or institutions I craved, so I wanted to learn and bring that energy back to Braga.” The experience in London proved invaluable when he returned in 2017 to take over the gallery. “I launched my own program in 2019, aiming to balance showcasing internationally renowned artists with supporting emerging talent,” he said. “The gallery is commercial, but it’s also a space for experimentation and community engagement.”

As well as the dual focus on global and local, Sequeria’s intention from the outset was to take a holistic approach to the gallery’s programming. “The gallery isn’t just about commerce,” said Sequeria. “It is a space for dialogue and discovery.” The upcoming program in Braga reflects this ethos: Next is renowned Spanish artist Jorge Galindo, followed by Edmond Brooks-Beckman, a rising painter based in London. Heavyweight names Julian Opie and Alex Katz will also feature later this year. When Artsy visited the gallery in October 2024, it showcased this balance perfectly: Sequeira was presenting Patrick H Jones, a London-based emerging artist whose large-scale paintings captured the fleeting, thumping energy of horse racing.

These were shown with London-based photographer Luca Brown’s photographs of the Garrison, a collection of historic buildings surrounding a prominent horse racing track in Barbados. Brown’s photographs offer a more intimate, reflective take on the sport, grounding it in a specific place with a rich history and a tight-knit community. Together, the exhibition bridged the global and the local, weaving the emotional distance between the fast pace of competition and the quieter, reflective moments of understanding one’s place in the world.

Since taking over the space, Sequeira has quickly earned new audiences and fresh international recognition for the family (it was celebrated as a gallery experiencing a breakout year by Artsy in 2023). Expansion was quickly placed on Sequiera’s agenda, with the gallery’s roots in Braga posing an ideal launchpad. “Initially, it was hard to get locals to understand what we were doing,” Duarte noted. “But that’s exciting, and the unexpectedness is part of the gallery’s charm. For both people within the art world and those who stumble upon it, Braga offers a setting that’s completely different from urban art scenes.”

The gallery’s international expansions to London and Seoul build on this ethos. The London space—based in Hackney, on the city’s eastern side—connects the gallery to a major art market, while the Seoul location bridges European and Asian audiences. This year, the gallery will move to a new three-story space in the Korean capital, close to other galleries including Thaddeaus Ropac and Gallery Baton. “The new space in Seoul’s Hannam neighborhood is perfect,” Sequeira said. “It’s calm and residential, with two exhibition areas and an outdoor terrace for sculpture projects. It allows us to connect cultures and bring fresh perspectives to our programming.” The curatorial approach remains consistent across all spaces, with a shared focus on presenting emerging and established artists, though each location slightly adapts to cater to its distinct audience.