PaceWildenstein

PaceWildenstein was a prominent New York art gallery formed in 1993 through the merger of The Pace Gallery, founded by Arne Glimcher in Boston in 1960, and the modern and contemporary art operations of the historic Wildenstein & Co. gallery. Based in Manhattan, PaceWildenstein became one of the most significant commercial galleries in the United States, representing a roster of major contemporary and modern artists. The partnership lasted until 2010, when the Glimcher family bought back the Wildensteins' stake, and the gallery resumed operations as Pace Gallery. The institution's history reflects broader shifts in the art market, from post-war expansion to the globalization of the gallery system and, eventually, to contemporary debates about the sustainability of the mega-gallery model.

Arne Glimcher established The Pace Gallery in Boston in 1960 at age 22, running it with his wife Milly and his mother Eva. The gallery derived its name from Glimcher's father's nickname, "Pacey." In 1963, Glimcher partnered with Fred Mueller to open a Manhattan location on East 57th Street, assisted by Ivan Karp; the Boston gallery closed in 1965, and the family relocated permanently to New York. The gallery moved to 32 East 57th Street in 1968, where it would remain for decades. During the 1960s, Glimcher and Irving Blum briefly operated a Los Angeles outpost on La Cienega Boulevard. Eva Glimcher also maintained a Pace branch in Columbus, Ohio from 1965 to 1982.

The pivotal merger with Wildenstein & Co. occurred in 1993, following the art market downturn of 1990. Daniel Wildenstein had long sought the combination, which brought together Pace's contemporary strength with Wildenstein's expertise in old master paintings. The joint venture, PaceWildenstein, endured for seventeen years. In 2010, the Glimcher family paid $100 million to repurchase the Wildensteins' 49 percent share, including an inventory of several thousand paintings, and the gallery returned to the Pace name.

Subsequent expansion was extensive and international. From 1995 to 1999, PaceWildenstein operated in Beverly Hills in a space designed by Charles Gwathmey. The Beijing gallery opened in 2008 in the 798 District, making Pace the first major Manhattan gallery with a Chinese presence; under president Leng Lin, it operated until 2019. In London, Pace occupied the west wing of the Royal Academy of Arts's 6 Burlington Gardens building from 2012 to 2020. A Menlo Park temporary space in 2014 preceded a Palo Alto gallery from 2016 to 2022. Geneva received a permanent 3,700-square-foot gallery in 2018. Seoul operations began in 2017 and expanded significantly. The New York Chelsea flagship opened in 2019, an eight-story, 70,000-square-foot building designed by Bonetti/Kozerski Architecture. Tokyo gained a permanent gallery in Azabudai Hills in 2024.

Leadership transitions marked the gallery's later history. Marc Glimcher, Arne's son, became president and CEO. In December 2022, Samanthe Rubell was named President, and a "Round Table" of ten senior directors was formed. In June 2026, Marc Glimcher announced substantial cuts, aiming to reduce represented artists to 80 and removing approximately 50 artists and 50 staff members, arguing that the mega-gallery model had become unsustainably focused on growth.

As a commercial gallery rather than a collecting institution in the traditional museum sense, PaceWildenstein's "holdings" consisted primarily of inventory held for sale and works consigned by artists. The scope spanned modern and contemporary art, with particular strength in American painting and sculpture from the post-war period onward. The merger with Wildenstein & Co. temporarily broadened this range to include old master paintings, though the Wildenstein specialty remained distinct from Pace's contemporary focus. The gallery's program emphasized blue-chip contemporary art, with a roster that historically included major figures of twentieth and twenty-first century art. Under Leng Lin's direction, Pace Beijing deliberately showed a mixture of American, European, and Asian artists, reflecting the gallery's efforts to bridge Western and Eastern art markets. The 2010 buyback of Wildenstein's stake returned Pace to its core contemporary and modern focus, while the subsequent global expansion diversified the geographic range of artists and exhibitions.

Specific notable works in PaceWildenstein's inventory are not detailed in the available sources, though the gallery's exhibition history and artist relationships define its significance. The 2012 London opening at the Royal Academy's 6 Burlington Gardens notably juxtaposed late paintings by Mark Rothko with photographs by Hiroshi Sugimoto, indicating the caliber of artists and works the gallery handled. The Wildenstein merger brought an inventory of several thousand paintings into the joint venture, though these were predominantly old master works rather than contemporary pieces. The gallery's publishing program, which produced approximately 450 catalogs over its first fifty years, documents the exhibitions and artists that constituted its core program. In the digital realm, Pace Verso launched in November 2021 with NFT drops from Lucas Samaras's XYZ series, representing the gallery's adaptation to new media formats.

PaceWildenstein's architectural history tracks the gallery's evolution and New York's changing gallery geography. The original Manhattan location opened in 1963 on East 57th Street, moving to 32 East 57th Street in 1968. This Midtown address became synonymous with the gallery for decades and also housed the Pace/MacGill photography space from 1983 to 2019. The Beverly Hills gallery, designed by Charles Gwathmey, operated from 1995 to 1999. The Beijing space occupied 22,000 square feet in the Factory 798 District, opening to coincide with the 2008 Summer Olympics. In London, the 9,000-square-foot west wing of the Royal Academy's 6 Burlington Gardens provided a prestigious temporary location. The 2014 temporary Menlo Park space occupied a former Tesla Motors building. The definitive architectural statement came with the 2019 Chelsea building: eight stories and 70,000 square feet designed by Bonetti/Kozerski Architecture, including 10,000 square feet of outdoor exhibition space. This building also houses Pace Live, a multidisciplinary programming space with a full-time curatorial director. The London relocation in 2021 to 4 Hanover Square in Mayfair, the former Blain Southern gallery, involved an 8,600-square-foot renovation by Jamie Fobert. The Seoul expansion moved to an 8,500-square-foot Hannam-dong space designed by Minsuk Cho, and in 2022, Pace partnered with Osulloc to create a café featuring artwork by Kohei Nawa. The 2024 Tokyo gallery in Azabudai Hills continued this pattern of architecturally significant, purpose-designed spaces.

PaceWildenstein maintained multiple locations during its existence, with access varying by period and branch. At its peak as a joint venture, there were three Manhattan locations, two in Chelsea and one at 32 East 57th Street in Midtown, plus the Beijing branch. The current iteration, Pace Gallery, operates as a private commercial gallery with nine locations worldwide: New York (Chelsea), London, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, Geneva, Seoul, East Hampton, Tokyo, and Palm Beach. The New York headquarters at 540 West 25th Street in Chelsea serves as the primary location, incorporating the consolidated Pace/MacGill photography operations. The gallery remains under family ownership and leadership, with Marc Glimcher as president and CEO and Samanthe Rubell as President. The 2026 announced cuts and potential London relocation to a "less corporate" space indicate ongoing structural evolution. Access is by appointment and during public exhibition hours, typical of major commercial galleries. The Pace Live program in New York offers additional public programming in music, dance, film, and conversation. In 2022, Pace partnered with the NFT platform Art Blocks to expand digital access to collectors.