The Michael Hoppen Gallery opened in 1992 and is founded on a passion for photography. As a gallery we are renowned for nurturing the careers of new and interesting artists and exhibiting them alongside acknowledged nineteenth, twentieth and twenty-first century photographic masters. In June 2021, after twenty-nine years spaced over three floors in the heart of Chelsea, London, we temporarily moved to an archive space in Notting Hill. Despite the move and the changes, we continue to be passionate about the photograph and all that concerns this extraordinary art form. We have for some time been sharing more online, the pandemic has sped this process up and we hope we have found new and inventive ways to make sure that what we have found exciting is visible to many more people than a physical space could ever achieve.
The breadth of our collection is mirrored in the diversity of our collector base. Our clients range from public and private museums, corporate collections and experienced collectors to those who are embarking upon their first photographic purchase. We aim to present all those who come to the gallery with something unexpected; to broaden their perception of what photography can be while providing the expertise to understand it. As such we maintain a vigorous publishing program to compliment our exhibitions and expose our artists to a broader audience.
In 2007 we published Eyes of an Island in conjunction with a major exhibition of influential Japanese photography from 1945 to the present day. Over the last fifteen years we have cemented our relationship with Japan and now have one of the most extensive collections of post-war Japanese photography outside of Asia. We are proud to represent many important Japanese Estates and artists.
The last two decades has seen photography grow from a marginalised art form to one of the mainstays of the contemporary art world. Although collaborating with numerous non-photo specific collections and institutions we still enjoy the boundaries imposed upon us by the photographic medium. As T.S Eliot so adroitly noted "When forced to work within a strict framework, the imagination is taxed to its utmost and will produce its richest ideas". Photography constantly pushes the boundaries that define it, and as such we are constantly delighted and challenged by the artists we work with. We hope you, our audience, are equally intrigued.
