White Cube

White Cube is a contemporary art gallery founded in London in 1993 by Jay Jopling. It began in a small square room in Duke Street, St James’s, a street long used by traditional art dealers. The gallery expanded to Hoxton Square in 2000, occupying a 1920s building that once housed a publishing company. After closing in Hoxton Square at the end of 2012, it opened two major London sites: Mason’s Yard in St James’s and Bermondsey in South East London. White Cube also has branches in Hong Kong, Paris, Seoul and New York City. White Cube earned its reputation by staging the first solo shows for many Young British Artists, including Tracey Emin and Gavin Turk. The gallery’s early rule allowed each artist only one exhibition, which helped build its distinctive identity. White Cube’s Bermondsey branch, converted from a 1970s warehouse, became Europe’s largest commercial gallery at its launch. The Hong Kong gallery, opened in 2012, introduced White Cube to Asia with an internal space of 560 square metres. White Cube has also worked with artists like Gilbert & George, Anselm Kiefer and Damien Hirst across its international venues. At Mason’s Yard, visitors find a free-standing building designed by MRJ Rundell & Associates, the first new gallery in St James’s for over thirty years. The Bermondsey site offers 5,400 square metres of converted warehouse space, with high ceilings and multiple rooms. Hoxton Square’s former gallery had a small reception area leading to a 250-square-metre downstairs space and a smaller upstairs gallery. Exhibitions sometimes spilled outside, such as Damien Hirst’s large sculpture Charity installed on the square’s grass. The gallery also produces artists’ editions and hosts private viewing rooms in its international locations.