Ron Arad to open Opera Gallery- Opera Gallery will open a new gallery in Mayfair at 65-66 New Bond Street on November 23rd.
Spanning over 6000+ sqft the new space is double the size of Opera’s previous gallery allowing them to exhibit across three floors, as well as an adjoining Medici Courtyard to present large-scale sculptural works. The opening of the new gallery swiftly follows the appointment of art market veteran, Isabelle de La Bruyère, to the newly created role of CEO for Opera Group, after spending many years as Head of Chairman’s Office & Client Advisory for the EMEA region at Christie’s. Isabelle will run Opera’s global gallery network, which has 16 locations in cities including New York, Paris and Singapore.
As we unveil our new, larger space in the heart of London, we mark a significant milestone in Opera Gallery’s journey in this great city that began nearly twenty years ago.
Opera Gallery Founder and Chairman Gilles Dyan
Opera Gallery will debut with new works from Ron Arad and Andy Denzler. Across the first floor will be a special presentation of work by Ron Arad. Demonstrating his ongoing experimentation with raw materials such as steel, aluminium or polyamide, which he often distorts into sinusoidal, elliptical and oval forms, the exhibition will include some important examples of the artists’ work from the 1980s and his iconic crystalline ‘Big Easy’ pieces. Arad’s presentation will focus on a series of new artworks made in collaboration with artisans from Dakar, Senegal. These works – ‘America Made in Africa’, ‘Salam Sofa’ and ‘Don’t Ya Tell Henri’ – are handcrafted using the metal from oil drums.
I am filled with excitement for this Opera Gallery show as it features artworks I have not seen in a long time and some that I have never touched before. Over the past year, I have dedicated myself to daily and intensive online collaboration with amazing artisans in Dakar, and I can’t wait to see and touch the artworks for real.
Ron Arad
Andy Denzler’s presentation will feature across the lower ground floor. Denzler is known for his distinct style that blends painting and digital manipulation techniques to produce artworks that stand out for their ‘glitch’ aesthetic. The exhibition will showcase a mixture of new and older artworks, with human figures remaining at the core of his explorations. His new works explore the interplay of figures and interiors in space, which come together on the canvas like a collage. With this new body of work, Denzler aims to capture scenes in space that transcend time, juxtaposing vintage furniture within a contemporary context, thereby making the images appear timeless.
On the ground floor Opera Gallery will debut with an ambitious group exhibition, Untitled Rencontres, featuring a collection of Modern Masters including artists such as Pablo Picasso, Fernardo Botero, Marc Chagall, Nicholas De Staël, Paul Delvaux, Jean Dubuffet, Lucio Fontana, Hans Hartung, Yayoi Kusama, Fernand Léger, René Magritte, Georges Mathieu, Joan Miró, Serge Poliakoff, Jean Paul Riopelle, Pierre Soulages, Kees van Dongen, Andy Warhol, Niki de Saint Phalle and Manolo Valdés
Opera Gallery’s new space extends its commitment to Mayfair, London’s nexus for art and luxury, and home to the city’s most important galleries and auction houses. Establishing its presence in London in 2004 at 134 New Bond Street, Opera’s original location hosted notable exhibitions by artists such as Hermann Nitsch, Manolo Valdés, Anthony James, and Cho Sung He.
In September 2023, Isabelle de La Bruyère, was appointed as the first CEO of Opera Gallery, by Founder and Chairman Gilles Dyan. On the new space Isabelle commented,
London is home to some of the most important art institutions in the world, and the cultural influence and creative spirit of the city has been captivating to artists and collectors alike for centuries. We are thrilled to continue our tenure on New Bond Street and expand our presence in Mayfair with a larger space where we will continue contributing to and building upon the artistic legacy of the city through the presentation of thought-provoking exhibitions and programming in this historic space.
Housed in a Queen Anne-style townhouse with original arched sash windows, the new gallery spans over 6027.79 sqft across the basement, ground, and first floor. The space was once occupied by Hook, Knowles & Co., a renowned shoemaker from the late 19th and early 20th century, whose clientele included The Royal Family and Winston Churchill, a former tenant of the space.
Untitled Rencontres, 23rd November 2023 – 7th January 2024, Opera Gallery
About
Ron Arad is an Israeli designer born in Tel Aviv in 1951. He studied at the Jerusalem Art Academy and at the Architectural Association in London.
His objects are the result of a constant experimentation of raw materials such as steel, aluminium or polyamide, which he distorts into sinusoidal, elliptical and oval forms. Alongside his studio work, Arad designs for many leading international companies including Kartell, Vitra, Moroso, Fiam, Driade, Alessi, Cappellini, Cassina, WMF and Magis amongst many others.
He was awarded the 2011 London Design Week Medal for design excellence and became an Academician of the Royal Academy of Arts in 2013. Ron Arad has designed a number of public art pieces such as the Vortex in Seoul, South Korea, and the Kesher Sculpture at the Tel Aviv University, Israel.
Isabelle de La Bruyère joined Christie’s in London in 1998 after completing her postgraduate degree in 19th and 20th-century art while also working as a researcher for the Impressionist department at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. At Christie’s in London, Isabelle specialised as an Impressionist and Modern Art expert before leading the annual sales specialized in Ottoman and Orientalist Art.
In 2003, Isabelle shifted to the Client Advisory side of the business while still focusing on 19th and 20th-century art and assisting collectors in all other areas related to auctions and private sales. She spent much of her time focusing on the Middle East and eventually relocated to Dubai as the Middle East Director in 2008, playing a pivotal role in Christie’s business development in the region. Her travels took her from Lebanon to Saudi Arabia, meeting collectors and driving Christie’s activities in the region, including opening its first office in Dubai in 2005.
In 2013, she returned to London to reassemble and head up the Client Advisory department, covering Europe, Middle East, Russia and India (EMERI). From this position she has brought together her finely tuned skills and relationships to build collections with many of Christie’s top clients. In 2021, she took on the responsibility to head the Chairman’s Office & Client Advisory for the EMEA region at Christie’s. Finally, in September 2023, she was appointed CEO of the Opera Gallery Group.
