Zürich, 21 November 2011, Art Media Agency (AMA).
Switzerland occupies an important place on the international art market. Its galleries are frequently presented in major art fairs such as FIAC or Frieze. Among the most influential Swiss galleries on international level are the famous Hauser & Wirth, Peter Kilchmann Gallery and Mai 36 Gallery, all three situated in Zürich.
They are registered in the AGS (Swiss galleries association) that counts 56 members selected by a careful process. What they have in common is essentially their speciality: contemporary art.
Hauser & Wirth was founded in 1992 by Ursula Hauser, Manuela Wirth and Iwan Wirth. The gallery disposes of three exhibition spaces in London, New York and Zürich. The Zürich gallery was founded in 1996 and is placed near other contemporary art galleries, in the building of the old brasserie Löwenbräu. Artists represented by the gallery include, Louise Bourgeois, Dan Graham, Paul McCarthy, Pipilotti Rist and Rodney Graham. Hauser & Wirth gallery is present at all the major contemporary art events in the world. Earlier this year, Hauser & Wirth stands were seen at Art Basel Miami Beach, FIAC, Zona Maco Mexico, Hong Kong International Art fair, Frieze Art Fair and at the Art Abu Dhabi fair.
The contemporary art gallery Peter Kilchmann was founded in 1992. Among the representative artists, the most famous are Francis Alÿs, Artur Zmijewski, Adrian Paci, Willie Doherty and Javier Téllez. This year, the gallery was also present at Art Basel Miami Beach, FIAC and Frieze Art fair. Works from the gallery’s collections were presented at the 2008 Tokyo Contemporary Art Fair. The gallery confirms its place on the international scene proposing a collection of Polish, Hungarian, British, American and German works.
Mai 36 Gallery, dedicated to contemporary art, possesses an important collection of paintings, drawings, sculptures, photographs, videos and installations. This year, it attended, alongside its Swiss colleagues, Art Basel Miami Beach, FIAC and Frieze. Founded in 1987, the gallery is enriched with contemporary artists’ works dating from 1945 to the present day. Organising nearly ten exhibitions per year, Mai 36 Gallery focuses on Pop Art, Minimalist and Conceptual art movements. The gallery’s representative artists include John Balderassi, Lawrence Weiner, Thomas Ruff, Robert Mapplethorpe and Stephan Balkenhol.