High Art, a highly influential Parisian gallery that transformed emerging artists into international stars over the past 12 years, has permanently closed its physical space. The gallery, which became known for its bold and sometimes unconventional programming, announced its closure on Instagram Friday, stating that its final exhibition ended in July.
The gallery revealed plans to transition into a new phase focused on collaborations, off-site exhibitions, and individual artwork projects. "Entering a new chapter, we will reform and transition toward collaborations, offsite exhibitions and individual artworks," the gallery wrote in its announcement. "How this will take shape in the coming years is still to be determined, but we remain very much so excited about the future of contemporary art and its enduring relevance."
Founded in 2013 by Romain Chenais, Jason Hwang, and Philippe Joppin, High Art quickly established itself as one of Paris's most closely watched small galleries. The gallery built its reputation on a willingness to showcase challenging and occasionally bizarre contemporary art that pushed boundaries and defied conventional expectations.
The gallery's track record of discovering and launching talent is particularly impressive. Rachel Rose, now renowned for her video essays addressing climate change and space exploration, held her very first solo exhibition at High Art in 2014. Following that debut, she went on to mount critically acclaimed shows at London's prestigious Serpentine Galleries and New York's Whitney Museum the following year.
Matt Copson, known for his innovative light sculptures, also had one of his first solo exhibitions at High Art in 2017. He has since expanded his artistic practice and is currently directing a feature film that will be distributed by Mubi. Lucy Bull showcased her abstract paintings at the gallery in 2019, marking High Art as the first venue to exhibit her work internationally. Her paintings now regularly command six-figure prices at auction houses worldwide.
Julien Creuzet, an artist based in the commune of Montreuil, also had his first solo show with High Art in 2019. His association with the gallery helped propel his career to new heights - he was nominated for the Prix Marcel Duchamp, France's most prestigious art prize, in 2021, and went on to represent France at the Venice Biennale in 2024.
The gallery's impressive roster extended far beyond these notable names. Numerous other significant artists held exhibitions at High Art, including Frieda Toranzo Jaeger, Max Hooper Schneider, Bracha L. Ettinger, Dena Yago, Maryam Hoseini, and Mélanie Matranga. This diverse and dynamic programming led Artsy to declare in 2018 that High Art had "successfully made Paris's gallery scene hip again."
The gallery's journey from humble beginnings to international recognition is particularly remarkable. As Hwang told Artsy, when they launched in 2013, "the gallery didn't have backers, we didn't have anything, we just pooled money together and opened a small gallery." High Art initially opened in Belleville, a neighborhood known at the time for hosting a scrappy collection of young art spaces, before later relocating to the Pigalle district.
Expanding its presence, High Art opened a second location in Arles in 2020, taking over a stunning 12th-century medieval chapel. Despite starting small, the gallery eventually became a regular participant at blue-chip art fairs such as Art Basel and Frieze, cementing its position in the international art world.
High Art's closure reflects a broader trend affecting galleries worldwide. It joins several other notable galleries that have shuttered in the past year, including Blum, Clearing, Sperone Westwater, and Galerie Francesca Pia. While the specific factors leading to each closure have varied significantly, these shutdowns have collectively raised concerns about the current fragile state of the global art market.
Unlike some other gallery closures, High Art did not specify the exact reasons for its decision to close in its Instagram announcement. The gallery remained focused on its future plans rather than dwelling on the circumstances of its closure, though it did not provide specific details about how its transition to collaborations and off-site projects would unfold.
In reflecting on its legacy, High Art emphasized its founding mission and continued commitment to contemporary art. "High Art was founded in 2013 from a desire to draw together distinct voices—those capable of shifting the frameworks through which contemporary art is seen and understood," the gallery stated. "Since then, our aim has been to provide artists with a space of both support and possibility, exploring established modes of art commerce while responding to an ever-expanding field. That spirit remains with us as we embrace what comes next."
