Sotheby's Expands And Reimagines Its New York Galleries With A Forward-Looking Design By Shohei Shigematsu Of OMA

NEW YORK, Feb. 22, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Sotheby's (NYSE: BID) today announced that it will unveil a dramatic expansion and reimagining of its New York City galleries on 3 May 2019.

Designed in collaboration with Sotheby's by Shohei Shigematsu, of the internationally-acclaimed architecture firm OMA New York, the redesign features vast new exhibition galleries that will distinguish Sotheby's as the world's premier commercial space for viewing and acquiring fine art, precious objects, luxury goods and more.

Opening with Sotheby's marquee May exhibitions and auctions of Impressionist & Modern and Contemporary Art, the new galleries increase Sotheby's exhibition space from 67,000 to more than 90,000 square feet – the equivalent of two acres.  Comprising 40 galleries of varying sizes spread across four entirely transformed floors, the new space rivals major museums around the world in scope, scale, quality and flexibility. 

Sotheby's galleries were designed to provide the optimal exhibition space for everything from single objects to expansive collections, and can accommodate works of art of any scale – the tallest gallery measures more than 20 feet in height, while the smallest gallery is 350 square feet.  New public exhibition spaces include:

• Three two-story spaces that can accommodate the largest-scale works;
• The Grand Gallery, a 150-foot-long space ideal for exhibiting full collections;
• The Octagon Gallery, a temple-like space ideal for jewelry, watches and other intimately-scaled objects, as well as for commanding displays of paintings;
• The Enfilade Galleries, a suite of four cascading spaces whose entryways align to create a stunning perspective;
• A number of domestically-scaled galleries ideal for furniture, design and collections;
• A series of L-shaped galleries for small-scale works and works on paper;
• Nine galleries dedicated to discreet, private sale opportunities;
• And two new flexible auction spaces.

Upon entering, visitors to Sotheby's will be greeted by state-of-the-art digital signage designed by 2x4, and a new double-height ground-floor gallery that can hold exhibitions as well as auctions.  A new Sant Ambroeus Coffee Bar will open next to a dedicated space for collecting purchased items, joining Sotheby's retail Wine store to complete the lobby experience*. 

Tad Smith, CEO of Sotheby's, said: "Our ambition was to completely reimagine the client experience in our building – from arrival into our lobby, and the path taken to view an exhibition and participate in an auction, through to collecting new purchases. We are thrilled with the way Shohei Shigematsu and OMA New York have realized our vision for a dynamic space that can serve our clients today, and grow with our business and the market into the future." 

Shohei Shigematsu said: "We wanted to embody Sotheby's ambition to reinvigorate and enhance the client experience by introducing high-flexibility through reorganization of programs and diversification of gallery spaces. The new headquarters is designed for openness and discovery—all public facing programs are shifted to lower levels, unlocking the public potential of the building. A taxonomy of galleries can be used separately or as clusters to allow curatorial freedom, driven by business model shifts and expanding repertoire of programming."

Allan Schwartzman, Chairman of Sotheby's Fine Art Division, said: "The galleries in size, range, and sequence are conceived to allow for a great degree of versatility, while also creating many unique moments of place and arrival.  Taking inspiration from countless institutions around the world, we sought to create the best possible conditions for showcasing great works of art, no matter what size, style, or period, as well as to accommodate a variety of sales and exhibitions concurrently."

The project is part of a global program of concurrent enhancements at Sotheby's London and Paris – creating state-of-the-art galleries and new public and private exhibition spaces for collectors around the world. It also follows the opening of new premises in Geneva, Dubai and Tel Aviv over the past 18 months. In addition to enabling a full spectrum of viewing experiences, the expanded and redesigned spaces provide Sotheby's New York with the capability to present public exhibitions and programs organized in collaboration with world-renowned partners throughout the year.

BY THE NUMBERS

90,000+ square feet of gallery space across 4 floors
(Equivalent to two acres)

40 public galleries and 9 private sales galleries

3,000 light fixtures and 7,228 linear feet of lighting tracks

5,435 linear feet of gallery wall space

Largest gallery: 4,100 square feet

Smallest gallery: 350 square feet

Tallest galleries: Three 20+-foot-tall spaces

Largest gallery wall: 1,200 square feet

Longest gallery wall: 106-feet-long

Two new 'flexible' auction spaces

*Sant Ambroeus Coffee Bar will open Summer 2019

About Oma New York
OMA is a leading international partnership practicing architecture, urbanism and cultural analysis. OMA maintains offices in Rotterdam, New York, Beijing, Hong Kong, Doha, Dubai and Perth. Established in 2001, OMA New York is responsible for OMA's operations in the Americas and has since overseen the successful completion of several buildings across the country, including Milstein Hall at Cornell University (2011); the Wyly Theater in Dallas (2009); the Seattle Central Library (2004); the IIT Campus Center in Chicago (2003); and Prada's Epicenter in New York (2001). Most recently the office celebrated the completion of the Faena Forum, a multi-purpose cultural venue in Miami Beach (2016); the Pierre Lassonde Pavilion, an extension to the Quebec National Museum (2016); Manus x Machina: Fashion in the age of Technology, an exhibition for the Metropolitan Museum of Art (2016); an exhibition in collaboration with artist Taryn Simon at the Park Avenue Armory (2016); and an exhibition design for Dior's first US retrospective at the Denver Art Museum (2018).

OMA New York is currently engaged in a diverse range of cultural projects: The New Museum expansion in New York City; the Audrey Irmas Pavilion in Los Angeles; the extension to the Albright Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo; and the renovation of Sotheby's New York headquarters.

About Sotheby's
Sotheby's has been uniting collectors with world-class works of art since 1744. Sotheby's became the first international auction house when it expanded from London to New York (1955), the first to conduct sales in Hong Kong (1973), India (1992) and France (2001), and the first international fine art auction house in China (2012). Today, Sotheby's presents auctions in 10 different salesrooms, including New York, London, Hong Kong and Paris, and Sotheby's BidNow program allows visitors to view all auctions live online and place bids from anywhere in the world. Sotheby's offers collectors the resources of Sotheby's Financial Services, the world's only full-service art financing company, as well as the collection, artist, estate & foundation advisory services of its subsidiary, Art Agency, Partners. Sotheby's presents private sale opportunities in more than 70 categories, including S|2, the gallery arm of Sotheby's Global Fine Art Division, and three retail businesses: Sotheby's Wine, Sotheby's Diamonds, and Sotheby's Home, the online marketplace for interior design. Sotheby's has a global network of 80 offices in 40 countries and is the oldest company listed on the New York Stock Exchange (BID).

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SOURCE Sotheby's

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