Expert Eye October 2014

Fresh Territory 

One of the things that has kept the founders of the Zurich-based gallery Hauser & Wirth (www.hauserwirth.com) on art-world power lists for years is their dynamic approach to what an art gallery can be. Their mission to escape the tyranny of the white-walled cube continues with two new spaces debuting several months and eight time zones apart. Hauser & Wirth Somerset, located 112 miles west of London in Somerset, England, opened in July with installations by Phyllida Barlow and a garden by landscape design artist Piet Oudolf. The gallery has transformed Durslade Farm, a historic and picturesque farm that dates to the 1760s, into a full-blown arts center that hosts artist-in-residence programs and includes a restaurant that serves seasonal fare, including meat from the cattle, pigs, and sheep raised on the grounds.

Coming next will be Hauser Wirth & Schimmel in Los Angeles, a city that is home to more of the gallery’s artists than any other. The venue will be led by Paul Schimmel, the former chief curator of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. Located in a 100,000-square-foot former flour mill, the gallery will open to the public in late 2015. Like the Somerset Hauser & Wirth, it will be more than just a gallery; plans call for artist residency studios, a restaurant, a bookstore, and a 20,000-square-foot interior courtyard that will showcase monumental sculpture.