De Sarthe Gallery

DE SARTHE (Traditional Chinese: 德薩畫廊; Simplified Chinese: 德萨画廊) is a contemporary art gallery with spaces in Hong Kong and Scottsdale, Arizona. The gallery's contemporary art program exhibits and promotes emerging artists from Asia, and its advisory focuses on 19th and 20th century master paintings and sculptures.

History
Founded by the current owner Pascal de Sarthe and his wife Sylvie de Sarthe, the gallery first opened in 1977 in Paris, France. The business moved to the United States in 1981, where it operated in San Francisco (1981-1990), Los Angeles (1990-1994), then Scottsdale (1994-2009). At the time, the gallery dealt mainly in secondary market Eastern and Western contemporary art.

In 2010, the gallery relocated to Hong Kong, opening a space on Duddell Street in the Central area (2010-2016). It later moved to the city's southern district, Wong Chuk Hang (2017-present), simultaneously expanding its contemporary art program. In 2014, the gallery opened and operated a space in the Caochangdi district in Beijing, until it received an eviction notice from the government in 2018.

In 2022, the founder's son Vincent de Sarthe reopened a new location in Scottsdale.

Artists
DE SARTHE exhibits works that reflect upon the complex and permeating implications of 21st century technology, representing creative practices that navigate and traverse the virtual realms colliding into reality today. Currently, the gallery represents a roster of contemporary Asian artists belonging to the generation born between 1970s-1990s, including Chan Ka Kiu, Lin Jingjing, Lov-Lov, Eugene Lun, Lu Xinjian, Mak2, Ma Sibo, Caison Wang, Wang Xin, Zhong Wei, and Zhou Wendou. The gallery also works with artists such as Dong Jinling, Double Fly Art Center, Jung Jin, Wang Jiajia, Xinyan Zhang, and more.

de Sarthe Artist Residency (deSAR)
Since 2017, the gallery has also run an annual summer residency program ("deSAR"), during which a Hong Kong-based artist is invited to use the gallery's Wong Chuk Hang space as an open studio for two months.The yearly program concludes with a short exhibition at the end of summer, of works created over the course of the residency.

Advisory
Additionally, the gallery works in the secondary market for European and Asian modernist artists such as Zao Wou-ki, Chu Teh-Chun, Pablo Picasso, Mark Rothko, Joan Miro, Alexander Calder, Gerhard Richter, Kazuo Shiraga, Robert Motherwell, among others.

Art Fairs
Since 2015, the gallery has taken part in international art fairs including Art Basel Hong Kong, West Bund Art & Design, Taipei Dangdai, The Armory Show and more.

Mak2: Copy of Copy of Copy of Copy (2024)
In the 2024 edition of Art Basel Hong Kong, the gallery presented a 7.5-meter-tall, site-specific installation by Hong Kong-based artist Mak2 as part of the fair's Encounter's sector. The installation, which consists of two replicas of DE SARTHE's booth connected top to top, dissects "the cyclicality of copying in the evolution of creation" and explores the layered stages of simulation folded into reality.

The presentation was well-received by press and was covered by local as well as international media including ArtAsiaPacific, Artnet, Tatler Asia, CNN Style, TimeOut, High Snobiety, RTHK, China Daily, Singtao, and more.

The installation and gallery also became a social media phenomenon during the week of the fair and was ranked first in social media engagement by The Owner.

Andrew Luk: Haunted, Salvaged (2021)
In 2021, the gallery presented a large-scale kinetic installation by its then represented artist Andrew Luk in the Encounters sector of Art Basel Hong Kong. The installation was originally set to premiere in the 2020 edition of the fair, which was cancelled due to Covid-19. As an alternative, the installation made its debut in "Shifting Landscapes", an exhibition hosted at the gallery. The exhibition was covered by media including Artforum, Artsy, Ocula, Vogue, and South China Morning Post.

The installation was subsequently reiterated in the 2021 edition of Art Basel Hong Kong, and was later exhibited again at K11 Musea in 2022.

Live Performance by Bernar Venet in collaboration with Sotheby's and amfAR (2019)
In 2019, the gallery organized a live performance by French artist Bernar Venet in Hong Kong in collaboration with Sotheby's and amfAR. The event marked the first time that an auction house has hosted an artist to create during a live art event and then to exhibited the newly created piece for an upcoming auction. Proceeds from the subsequent sale were donated to amfAR in support of the global fight against aids and the prevention of HIV.

Robert Rauschenberg Exhibition in Hong Kong (2016)
In 2016, the gallery presented a solo exhibition by American artist Robert Rauschenberg at its Central space, featuring six significant works from different series spanning from 1968-2005.

Bernar Venet at Hong Kong Cultural Centre & Museum of Art Piazzas (2012)
In 2012, DE SARTHE organized and sponsored a presentation of 7 large-scale steel sculptures by Bernar Venet, exhibited in the piazzas adjacent to Hong Kong Cultural Centre and Hong Kong Museum of Art. Hosted in collaboration with French May, the exhibition was the artist's first appearance in Hong Kong since 1995 and featured several works that he created for an exhibition at Château de Versailles in 2011.

Keith Haring Public Sculptures in Taipei, Taiwan (2011)
In 2011, the gallery's advisory placed three large-scale Keith Haring sculptures in the public area outside Yuanta Financial Holdings in Taipei.

Robert Indiana Public Sculpture at Taipei 101 (2004)
In 2004, the gallery placed Robert Indiana's iconic Love sculpture in front of Taipei 101 in Taiwan. Measuring 3.6m tall, 3.6m wide, and 1.8m thick, the bright red sculpture is now a tourist attraction of the city.

Robert Indiana Exhibition at Shanghai Art Museum (2002)
American artist Robert Indiana had his first solo exhibition in China at Shanghai Art Museum. The exhibition was organized in a collaboration between the gallery's founder Pascal de Sarthe and Morgan Art Foundation Ltd. The show was a broad survey of Indiana's career, featuring over 80 works comprising sculptures, paintings, and serigraphs.

Associations
The gallery is a member of the Hong Kong Art Gallery Association and participates in their monthly Southside Saturday program.

Recognition
Gallery founder Pascal de Sarthe was listed as one of the 'Power 100' by Art+Auction Magazine in 2012.

The gallery was among the 500 best galleries in the world listed by Modern Painters in 2013.

The gallery was awarded '"Best Art Gallery of The Year" in Asia' by CANS Magazine in 2017, Chinese Art News.

Gallery founder Pascal de Sarthe was featured in the video 'The Rise of the Mobile Connoisseur', on BBC.com.