ART CITIES: Geneva-Pace 65 Years

Pace is a leading international art gallery representing some of the most influential contemporary artists and estates from the past century, holding decades-long relationships with Alexander Calder, Jean Dubuffet, Barbara Hepworth, Agnes Martin, Louise Nevelson, and Mark Rothko. Today, Pace has nine locations worldwide, including two galleries in New York, its eight-story headquarters at 540 West 25th Street and an adjacent 8 exhibition space at 510 West 25th Street, the other Galleries are located in London, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, Geneva, Seoul, East Hampton, Tokyo, and Palm Beach.

By Dimitris Lempesis
Photo: Pace Gallery Archive

The group exhibition “Pace 65 Years”  delves into the past 65 years of Pace Gallery through a changing display of works that situates the gallery’s contemporary program in the context of its 20th century history, cultivating a dialogue between the past and present. Featuring works by Lynda Benglis, Adolph Gottlieb, Agnes Martin, Louise Nevelson, Adam Pendleton, Pablo Picasso, Richard Pousette-Dart, Lucas Samaras, and Antoni Tàpies, among other major figures, this presentation  invites visitors to learn about Pace’s legacy. The Expanding World of Pace Gallery: In 1960, at just 22 years old, Arnold (Arne) Glimcher founded The Pace Gallery in Boston—a modest venture launched with the help of his wife, Milly, and his mother, Eva. What began as a small family-run space quickly evolved into one of the most influential contemporary art galleries in the world. Glimcher’s early vision, coupled with a keen eye for talent and innovation, laid the foundation for what would become a defining force in the global art market. Just three years after opening its doors, Pace set its sights on New York. In 1963, Glimcher partnered with Fred Mueller and—with the guidance of longtime friend and art dealer Ivan Karp—opened a space on East 57th Street. By 1965, the Boston gallery had closed, and the Glimcher family had fully relocated to New York. Three years later, Pace found a lasting home at 32 East 57th Street, anchoring its presence in the city’s vibrant art scene. While New York became the gallery’s epicenter, Eva Glimcher kept Pace’s spirit alive in the Midwest. From 1965 to 1982, she operated a satellite branch in Columbus, Ohio, located on Broad Street. Meanwhile, Glimcher briefly extended Pace’s reach to the West Coast during the 1960s, running an outpost on La Cienega Boulevard in Los Angeles in partnership with Irving Blum. Pace’s ambition has always been global, and nowhere was that more evident than in 2008, when it became the first major Manhattan gallery to establish a permanent space in Beijing’s Factory 798 District. The 2,000-square-metre gallery, launched during the Summer Olympics, signaled a bold step into the Chinese art market. Under the direction of President Leng Lin, Pace Beijing showcased a compelling mix of American, European, and Asian artists until its closure in 2019. From 2012 to 2020, Pace held a presence in London, occupying an 840-square-metre wing of the Royal Academy of Arts at 6 Burlington Gardens. Its inaugural exhibition juxtaposed the meditative abstractions of Mark Rothko with the contemplative photography of Hiroshi Sugimoto, setting the tone for an ambitious curatorial program. Back in the U.S., innovation continued. In 2014, the gallery transformed a former Tesla Motors building in Menlo Park, California, into a 2,300-square-metre temporary exhibition space. That endeavor led to the opening of a permanent Palo Alto gallery, which operated from 2016 to 2022. That same year, Pace took its first steps into Switzerland, activating the historic 12th-century Chesa Büsin house in Zuoz before establishing a 340-square-metre permanent gallery in Geneva in 2018. Asia remained a priority for expansion. In 2017, Pace opened a compact 85.9-square-metre gallery in Seoul. Demand and ambition quickly outgrew the space, and the gallery moved into a larger, 790-square-metre venue in the Hannam-dong district, designed by acclaimed architect Minsuk Cho. Perhaps the most significant development in recent years came in 2019, when Pace unveiled its eight-story, 6,500-square-metre flagship space in New York’s Chelsea neighborhood. Designed by Bonetti/Kozerski Architecture, the gallery includes 930 square metres of outdoor exhibition space and is home to Pace Live—a multidisciplinary program of music, dance, film, and performance curated year-round by a dedicated director. Despite its monumental scale, Pace continues to embrace flexibility. In 2020, it opened a temporary 160-square-metre space in East Hampton Village, offering programming outside the traditional urban core. A year later, its London presence shifted to a new home at 4 Hanover Square in Mayfair. Designed by Jamie Fobert, the 800-square-metre space carries forward the gallery’s commitment to thoughtful, architecturally driven environments. In 2022, Pace stepped into the digital frontier with a partnership with the NFT platform Art Blocks, designed to bridge traditional and crypto-native collector bases. That same year, Samanthe Rubell was appointed President of Pace Gallery, and a formal “Round Table” of senior directors was established to guide the gallery’s strategic direction. Pace also continues to explore cross-disciplinary initiatives. In 2022, it collaborated with Osulloc to open a café in Seoul, adorned with artwork by Kohei Nawa—blending art, architecture, and lifestyle into a singular experience. From Boston to Beijing, from Rothko to NFTs, Pace Gallery’s journey is one of fearless expansion and unwavering dedication to contemporary art. Under evolving leadership and with a global footprint, Pace continues to define what it means to be a 21st-century gallery—dynamic, daring, and deeply rooted in the transformative power of art.

Photo left: Lynda Benglis, Winged Victory, 2024, everdur bronze, 25-3/16″ × 32-3/4″ × 21-7/16″ (64 cm × 83.2 cm × 54.4 cm), Courtesy Pace Gallery. Photo right: Lucas Samaras, Box #90, 1974, mixed media, 14-1/2″ x 12″ x 16″ (36.8 cm x 30.5 cm x 40.6 cm), open 9″ x 11-1/2″ x 7-1/2″ (22.9 cm x 29.2 cm x 19 cm), closed), Courtesy Pace Gallery

Info; Pace Gallery, Quai des Bergues 15-17, Geneva, Switzerland, Duration: 21/5-9/8/2025, Days & Hours: Tue-Sat 10:00-18:00, https://www.pacegallery.com/