Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/496780
New York contemporary art dealers Rachel Lehmann and David Maupin have long grounded their galleries with cutting-edge artists in Chelsea, the Lower East Side and Hong Kong. And when it comes to designing their galleries, they've frequently brought on A-list architect Rem Koolhaas. The powerhouse duo is expanding yet again with a new gallery in Chelsea—the former space of legendary dealer Ileana Sonnabend. Now with Sonnabend's former quarters and yet another Chelsea outpost in the works, Lehmann and Maupin are just a few galleries shy of Gagosian territory. And like Sonnabend and Gagosian, Lehmann and Maupin have always been ahead of the curve when it comes to tapping emerging talent. After all, Ashley Bickerton, Tracey Emin and Juergen Teller were hardly household names when these dealers first represented them nearly two decades ago. Today, all of those artists have major solo museum shows under their belts—not to mention a core following of collectors. "We have always looked for voices globally that express contemporary culture with many of our artists crisscrossing a variety of mediums from film, sculpture, video and installation," says Lehmann. Their artists range from the French- Algerian Kader Attia and South African Nicholas Hlobo to Brazilian Adriana Varejão. Next up at the new gallery is "Mary Corse," an examination of the Los Angeles artist who embeds glass beading used for highway paving into acrylic painted canvases. Meanwhile, on the Lower East Side,"Tony Oursler," opening April 29, features the multimedia artist's newest ghoulish faces, which are embedded with video screens simulating only eyes and mouths on large panels. Straight across to Hong Kong, "Alex Prager" presents her large-scale photographs and videos. But Lehmann and Maupin do far more than merely spotlight the latest oeuvre of the artists they represent. For Korean artist Lee Bul, they're supporting her project in working with upwards of 30,0000 Swarovski crystals. "Lee's new sculpture in the shape of a ship will speak of fantasy while she continues to push the limits of our imagination," says Lehmann. "To do so, we travel and each log in over 100,000 miles in a single year," says Maupin. "We sharpen our eyes, touch base with our artists and meet new ones, too." 136 CULTURED Following their international expansion, Rachel Lehmann and David Maupin are making moves again, this time a little closer to home. BY BROOK S. MASON GLOBAL GALLERISTS David Maupin and Rachel Lehmann