Hauser & Wirth Opens Space for Prints and Editions

Gallery September 11, 2023 Rebecca Schiffman

Photo: Kyle Knodell

Exterior view, Hauser & Wirth New York, 18th Street, Courtesy Hauser & Wirth

Hauser & Wirth has just opened its newest gallery in New York solely dedicated to prints and editions along with its publishing arm, Hauser & Wirth Publishers. The gallery created this space to host exhibitions and public programs of contemporary and historical prints and editions, which have long been on the program at the gallery but have never been given such a platform until now. In addition, the gallery will be home to its newest bookshop filled with its own publications, including the gallery-run magazine, Ursula. It also boasts an eclectic bar and a small amphitheater for panels and lectures.

The gallery launched the space with an exhibition of little-known prints and works on paper by Louise Bourgeois. This brought in a huge crowd that spilled out into the streets Friday evening, as collectors, curators, artists, and anyone walking by, came to see Bourgeois’s beautiful and haunting prints on fabric that illustrated important events in the artist’s life.

Courtesy The Easton Foundation and Hauser & Wirth Photo: Christopher Burke

Louise Bourgeois, Self Portrait, 2009 © The Easton Foundation / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY

Hauser & Wirth is just one of the many galleries who have taken steps to transform the art book publishing industry in recent years. Many mega-galleries have adopted publishing as a way to further their artist’s message and enrich art historical scholarship in their own ways.

Take David Zwirner Books, Pace Publishing, or Gagosian’s Quarterly Magazine. These publishing arms allow galleries to create publications that serve as powerful marketing tools, elevate an artist’s visibility, and attract collectors, scholars, and art enthusiasts alike.

Most galleries that have taken on publishing, have opted to offer publications online or at their front desks including David Zwirner, Pace Publishing, and Lisson’s online bookshop, among others.

Gagosian

Exterior of Gagosian Shop in New York

Gagosian, which opened its gift and book store, Gagosian Shop, on the Upper East Side in 2009, was one of the first to make publishing a priority by giving it a brick and mortar outlet.

Hauser & Wirth had a shop and cafe in their old 22nd Street building, but did away with it when they built their new gallery at 542 West 22nd Street. In 2019, Hauser & Wirth Publishers opened their headquarters in Zurich.

Publishing has always been an important part of the gallery’s program since its founding. Before they opened their own in-house imprint, the gallery partnered with major publishing houses such as Yale University Press and Thames & Hudson to produce its publications.

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