The international dealer Almine Rech has announced she is opening a first-floor space in Mayfair as she transitions “to a more private way of working” in the UK capital. The new venue, near Sotheby’s on George Street, is around a quarter of the size of her former London gallery, which she closed in August after putting the UK business into voluntary liquidation.
The dealer declined to comment specifically on the downsize, saying the move “continues the gallery’s ten-plus years in the British capital”. The new venue is due to open next month by appointment “and will showcase curated presentations of works by artists from the 20th and 21st centuries”, according to a statement. The gallery will continue to represent and exhibit contemporary artists, Rech adds.
The new company, Almine Rech Advisory, was registered at Companies House on 30 September. Almine Rech, whose country of residence is Monaco, is listed as the person with significant control, with Maximilian Lefort as a director.
The decision to put the former gallery business into liquidation “was a technical step to restructure a lease that no longer aligned with our plans”, according to a statement shared with The Art Newspaper earlier this month. Companies House filings put the London gallery’s deficit at £6.3m, though the majority of this—£6m—is related to intercompany and shareholder loans. It was not clear whether the outstanding amount included money owed to the unnamed landlord, though the statement stressed that “the gallery [had] no unpaid obligations to artists, employees, or suppliers”.
