Of Lehmann Maupin's decision to branch out internationally, founding partners Rachel Lehmann and David Maupin said, “We have conducted business in Asia for well over a decade. The gallery is deeply committed to the region and to the vital relationships we have established with artists, curators, and collectors. For us, it was a natural decision to open a gallery in Hong Kong, one that will allow us to continue to strengthen and build upon these relationships and to offer more localized support to our artists.”
The gallery already represents many of the top Asian artists. In 2000, it organized the first exhibition of Korean installation artist Do Ho Suh's work in the United States. Since that time, Lehmann Maupin has presented solo exhibitions of Lee Bul, Rei Sato, and Jun Nguyen-Hatsushiba and introduced New York audiences to the work of Mr. and Suling Wang. In June, the gallery announced representation of the Chinese artist Liu Wei, whose work will be on view for the first time at the gallery's booth during the Frieze Art Fair in London. Liu Wei will also be the subject of his first solo exhibition in the United States at Lehmann Maupin, New York this February 2013.
The gallery will inaugurate its Hong Kong exhibition program in early spring 2013 with a solo exhibition of one of its Asian artists. A second exhibition, curated by Hervé Mikaeloff exploring the various ways in which Eastern and Western artists utilize language in their work, will coincide with Art Basel in Hong Kong.
Courtney Plummer, a ten-year veteran of the gallery and a partner since 2008, will direct the gallery's operations in Hong Kong.