Galleries are essential to the modern contemporary art scene. The model for the art world is found in art galleries. With a pulse on the newest developments in contemporary art, they serve as the curators of future great works of art. Let’s address the important subject of who is the most extensive art gallery in the world right now before presenting the top ten galleries in the business.

With seventeen sites worldwide and an exhibition area of over twenty thousand square meters, the Gagosian Gallery is the most extensive art gallery in the world.

Gagosian is not the only so-called “mega-gallery” in existence, though, as several other prominent galleries in the business are vying for first place. However, what do they do, who are they, and where can we find them?

For a deeper look at the art gallery, read our comprehensive post, The Art Gallery: Everything You Need to Know.

An “Mega-Gallery”—what is it?

The impact of art galleries is increasing rapidly; occasionally, individuals even go so far as to claim that the most well-known galleries have grown too strong. As a result, a brand-new kind of gallery known as a “mega-gallery” has evolved or instead grown.

An industry-leading gallery with several sites that blurs the boundaries between gallery and museum due to its scale, staffing count, artist caliber, and well-planned shows is called a “mega-gallery.”

While everyone knows the most significant art museums worldwide, the general public knows little about art galleries. We frequently visit museums like MoMA in New York, Tate Modern in London, or Centre Pompidou in Paris to see modern art. However, an art gallery was where we first saw the artworks and the artists who created them before they joined such institutions.But before they joined such institutions, the artworks we see and the artists who made them were first seen and represented by an art gallery.

See the main distinctions between an art gallery and a museum in our post, What is the Difference Between an Art Gallery and a Museum? If you would like to learn more, This.

What company are those mega-galleries, and where are they located? As a result, the top 10 most excellent and significant galleries worldwide are included in this article.

Please take notice that the top 10 largest art galleries worldwide have been determined entirely impartially by utilizing the following metrics:

• Square meters
• Number of locations
• Number of staff members
• Artist rankings of the represented artists
• Web visibility

13. France’s Louvre

Situated in the heart of Paris and first constructed as a stronghold in the twelfth century, the Louvre is among the most ancient art galleries according to the rankings, having opened its doors in 1793. With over 7.3 million visits in 2016 alone, the Louvre is not only the biggest museum in the world but also the most well-liked one. The Louvre, with its collection of over 38,000 artifacts spread over eight distinct departments, the most famous being Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, ranks top among all five major reputation drivers.

12 The Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam

The Amsterdam-based museum, dedicated to Vincent Van Gogh’s art, welcomes more than two million visitors annually. With 1,300 pieces, it is the world’s most incredible collection of Van Gogh artwork. Notable items include his famous works Sunflowers, Self-Portrait, and The Potato Eaters. It was established in 1976. With a score of 81.9%, the Van Gogh Museum has a global reputation rating of 12th place, only 31st among the most visited art museums worldwide.

11. The Netherlands’ Rijksmuseum

The Rijksmuseum was established in 1800 in The Hague and relocated to Amsterdam in 1808. Pierre Cuypers designed the present main structure, which initially saw use in 1885. Following a ten-year, €375 million refurbishment effort, the museum reopened in 2013. It has 8,000 historical and artistic artifacts on exhibit and a collection of one million items spanning the years 1200–2000. Masterworks by well-known painters, including Frans Hals, Johannes Vermeer, and Rembrandt, are included in this collection. Only the 17th most visited art museum in the world, the Rijksmuseum welcomes over 2.5 million people annually.

10. Victoria Miro

VENICE and LONDON

The discussions begin with the Victoria Miro Gallery. Victoria Marion Miro established her first gallery in London in 1985. In 2000, she moved to a more prominent location in the English city, now serving as the gallery’s primary office. Victoria Miro opened a third gallery in Venice, Italy, in 2013 after opening a second location in London.

Victoria Miro and her gallery enjoy great regard as well-known figures in the art world. In 2018, three locations occupied more than 2,000 square feet, and the workforce comprised about 50 employees. Two galleries are currently in operation. One each in Venice and London.

Victoria Miro introduced and represented many contemporary stars of the art world over the years. Consider the British performers Chris Ofili and Chantal Joffe and the foreign performers Idris Khan, Tal R, Alice Neel, and Njideka Akunyili Crosby. This outstanding group of musicians ranks tenth on our list and elegantly kicks off our piece.

View of the “Idris Khan: Absorbing Light” installation at London’s Victoria Miro (2017) Stephen White (c) in a photo

9. Lehman Brothers

London, Seoul, Hong Kong, and New York

In 1996, David Maupin founded the Lehmann Maupin Gallery in New York, USA, featuring contemporary art. There are four venues for the highly regarded mega-gallery worldwide: New York, Hong Kong, Seoul, and London.

Since its founding, Lehmann Maupin has represented and exhibited well-known artists, including Kader Attia, Erwin Wurm, and Gilbert & George. The gallery’s impact is seen in the quantity of museum exhibitions, public initiatives, biennials, art fair appearances, and internet presence. Additionally, the gallery employs about 45 people and has a space of about 2,000 square meters.

Lehmann Maupin is a well-known brand among the most significant galleries of contemporary art today. Lehmann Maupin occupies the eighth position for this article as a result.

“Erwin Wurm: Yes Biological” installation view at Lehmann Maupin in New York (2021) Lehmann Maupin (c) in a photo

8. Aspertin

New York, Shanghai, SEOUL, TOKYO, HONG KONG, and Paris (5)

Emmanuel Perrotin founded the Perrotin Gallery in 1990 when he established his first gallery at 21 in Paris. Thirty years later, Perrotin will open his fifth facility in Paris, his tenth exhibition space. The remaining five galleries are located in New York, Hong Kong, Seoul, Tokyo, and Shangai; they occupy an impressive 7,500 square meters of exhibition space and employ about 110 people.

With an emphasis on primary and secondary markets, Perrotin represents well-known artists such as Maurizio Cattelan, Wim Delvoye, JR, Takashi Murakami, Pierre Soulages, Claire Tabouret, and other artist estates. The gallery makes an impression on the art world by participating in more than twenty art fairs annually.

Consequently, Perrotin Gallery has become one of the most extensive art galleries globally, earning a well-earned eighth place on our ranking.

View of the “JR: Tehachapi” installation at the Perrotin Gallery in Paris (2020). image by Perrotin (c)

7. Octavius Ropac

SEOUL, LONDON, PARIS (2), and SALZBURG (2)

The gallery empire of Thaddaeus Ropac is the next in line. The Austrian gallery owner established his first location in Lienz, Austria, in 1981. In 1983, he relocated to Salzburg and founded the Thaddaeus Ropac Gallery, which is still there today. In addition, Ropac would open one gallery in London, two galleries in Paris (Patrine and Marseille), and a second gallery in Salzburg. He is now building a new site in Seoul, South Korea, to accommodate his growing crew.

Thaddaeus Ropac is an expert in modern art, specializing in the primary and secondary markets. They continue to contribute to the legacy of contemporary icons working with their estates, in addition to representing the most influential artists, including Georg Baselitz, Adrian Ghenie, Gilbert & George, Alex Katz, Anselm Kiefer, Imi Knoebel, Arnulf Rainer, David Salle, Erwin Wurm, and Lawrence Weiner.

The gallery runs its own publishing company, participates in every major art exhibition, advises actors for large institutions and public collections, and has an almost infinite effect and reach due to these activities. They also actively contribute to the written canonization of contemporary art and its most recent advances. Thaddaeus Ropac curates over 40 shows annually and occupies approximately 12,000 square meters of exhibition space across six sites.

One of the most significant art galleries in the world is, without a doubt, the massive Thaddaeus Ropac gallery. As a result, it is ranked sixth in this article. However, it was really close; they may have finished in fifth place.

View of the “Georg Baselitz: Time” installation at Thaddeus Ropac in Paris Pantin (2020). Thaddaeus Ropac (c) in a photo

6. Gagosian

NEW YORK (6), BEVERLY HILLS, LONDON (3), PARIS, LE BOURGET, GENEVA, BASEL, ROME, ATHENS, AND HONG KONG

In 1980, Larry Gagosian created the Gagosian Gallery in Los Angeles. Today, the gallery has seventeen (!) sites encompassing approximately 20.000 square meters of display space. It employs more than 300 personnel across New York (6 galleries), London (3 galleries), Beverly Hills, Paris, Le Bourget, Geneva, Basel, Rome, Athens, and Hong Kong.

Gagosian has been a central figure in many parts of the art business. They are, without question, the top gallery in the internet marketplace. They were the first gallery to create a publishing firm, rivaling traditional art publishers with over 500 volumes. Their Gagosian Quarterly magazine, online writings, and other cultural initiatives are defined by openness, historical studies, research, market insights, and more.

The numbers of Gagosian are just mind-blowing as they surpass the limits of the art gallery. The quantity of recognized artists and estates they work with is even more impressive—Kami, Jeff Koons, Richard Prince, Jeff Wall, Rudolf Stingel, and many more.

5. Gallery Lisson

Shanghai (3), New York (3), and London

In 1967, Nicholas Logsdail and a few of his Slade School of Art classmates rebuilt three stories on Bell Street in London, creating the Lisson Gallery. Since its founding, Lisson Gallery has pioneered minimal and conceptual art, making it one of the longest-running worldwide galleries of contemporary art.

The gallery’s current size is about 4.000 square meters. It employs about 80 people, dispersed across two locations in London, two in New York, one in Shanghai, and a temporary location each in East Hampton, New York, and the Mayfair neighborhood of London.

Lisson Gallery sets itself out as a “super-gallery” with a fantastic selection of over 60 of the highest-rated artists in addition to its striking settings. Together with today’s top artists, the gallery still represents several artists who emerged in the 1960s and 1970s and have since become legends in the art world. Marina Abramovic, Ai Weiwei, Sean Scully, Ryan Gander, Liu Xiaodong, Tony Cragg, Dan Graham, Richard Long, Anish Kapoor, Laure Prouvost, and several more artists are represented by Lisson Gallery.

Consequently, it should come as no surprise that Lisson Gallery—at number six on our list and almost in fifth place—is mentioned in an article on the ten most extensive art galleries worldwide.

“Liu Xiaodong: Weight of Insomnia” installation view at London’s Lisson Gallery (2019) Lisson Gallery (c) in photo

4. David Zwirner

NEW YORK (3), LONDON, PARIS, AND HONG KONG

Up next, we have the omnipresent David Zwirner Gallery. I was shocked that the mega-gallery didn’t make the podium. However, the top four may have been in any order when we approached the ultimate greats of the mega-galleries.

David Zwirner founded his first gallery in 1993 in New York and has six sites across three continents. With three venues in New York and worldwide galleries in London, Paris, and Hong Kong, David Zwirner encompasses roughly 14.000 square meters and has over 150 workers.

Even more astounding is the array of artists David Zwirner represents. The roster is filled with the art world’s luminaries, such as Francis Alÿs, Marlene Dumas, Michaël Borremans, Barbara Kruger, Neo Rauch, Luc Tuymans, Thomas Ruff, Wolfgang Tillmans, and many more. Also, addressing the secondary market, the gallery represents artists of the most significant class, such as Dan Flavin, Donald Judd, Josef Albers, Alice Neel, Juan Munoz, and Sigmar Polke.

Doing so, the gallery stands in the fourth rank among the major art galleries in the world and is banging on the door to reach the podium.

Installation view of ‘Luc Tuymans: Le Mépris’ at David Zwirner in New York (2016). Photo: David Zwirner (c)

3. Pace Gallery

NEW YORK (2), LONDON, HONG KONG, SEOUL, GENEVA, PALO ALTO, EAST HAMPTON, AND PALM BEACH

We join the podium with the industry-leading worldwide mega-gallery, Pace. Pace Gallery was created in 1960 by Arne Glimcher in Boston and is presently run by his son, Marc Glimcher.

Today, the gallery has nine sites throughout the globe, including spaces in London, Geneva, Palo Alto, Hong Kong, Seoul, East Hampton (temporary), Palm Beach (seasonal), and two galleries in New York. It is planned to grow again during the fall of this year with a larger facility in London. Consequently, Pace covers approximately 15.000 square meters of display space and has roughly 150 individuals on its worldwide team.

Pace has an outstanding show calendar with even more incredible artists. The American contemporary art gallery represents artists such as Christo, Chuck Close, Nigel Cooke, Adrian Ghenie, Paul Graham, David Hockney, JR, Jeff Koons, Li Songsong, and Agnes Martin, among many others.

By doing so, Pace Gallery earned the bronze medal as the world’s third most extensive art gallery.

Installation view of ‘Julian Schnabel: The Sad Lament of the Brave, Let the Wind Speak and Other Paintings’ at Pace Gallery in New York (2020). Photo: Pace Gallery (c)

2. Hauser & Wirth

NEW YORK (2), LONDON, HONG KONG, LOS ANGELES, SOMERSET (2), ST. MORITZ, ZURICH, GSTAAD, RÄMISTRASSE, SOUTHAMPTON, MENORCA, MONACO AND CHILIDA LEKU

In the second position, we are thrilled to introduce Hauser & Wirth. Iwan Wirth, Manuele Wirth, and Ursula Hauser formed Hauser & Wirth in 1992 in an Art Deco home in Zurich, Switzerland. Amazingly, within three decades, the gallery has developed and today has fifteen gallery sites throughout the globe.

Where to locate them? Hauser & Wirth has two galleries in New York and Somerset and a gallery in London, Los Angeles, Hong Kong, St. Moritz, Zurich, Gstaad, Rämistrasse, Southampton, Menorca, Monaco, and Chilida Leku, encompassing 20.000 square meters with roughly 200 staff.

1. Cube White

LONDON (2), NEW YORK, HONG KONG, AND PARIS

Jay Jopling, an art dealer and gallery owner, opened a square space in the West End of London’s Duke Street in 1993. The gallery began as a single square space and has expanded to six significant sites in less than thirty years, including two in London and one in Hong Kong, Paris, and New York.

White Cube acquired national and international notoriety by becoming one of the first galleries to represent the Young British Artists (YBA). Today, the gallery boasts an excellent spectrum of artists in its inventory. Consider the works of artists like Andreas Gursky, Imi Knoebel, Julie Mehretu, Bruce Nauman, Danh Vō, Jeff Wall, Tracey Emin, Anselm Kiefer, Damien Hirst, Ellen Altfest, Michael Armitage, Georg Baselitz, and Chuck Close.

White Cube occupies about 10.000 square meters and is one of today’s most prominent art galleries, ranking fifth on this list. However, I also want to mention that White Cube, Lisson Gallery, and Thaddaeus Ropac are this close to our rating. We can claim that the trio shares this fifth spot with an ex-quo.

Installation view of ‘Imi Knoebel: Recent Works’ at White Cube in London (2021). Photo: White Cube (c)

A distinctive and admirable component of Hauser & Wirth’s concept about these gallery locations is their affinity toward architecture and cultural history. Instead of establishing new state-of-the-art gallery spaces, they rehabilitate old structures, examine their environs, and contribute to a constructive attitude towards cultural sites and heritage challenges, integrating modern art with history.

Further, Hauser & Wirth actively contributes to academic research, firmly tied to their specialized publishing operations:

• Staging landmark exhibits in conjunction with famous curators
• Presenting high-end surveys
• Investing in scholarship, research, and education

In doing so, the gallery creates museum-quality shows and contributes enormous value to its gallery program, the art world, and culture in general.

Then, the gallery represents the remarkable variety of over eighty artists and estates. Think of Berlinde De Bruyckere, Nicole Eisenman, Isa Genzken, Roni Horn, Anri Sala, Wilhelm Sasnal, Zeng Fhanzi, or the estates of Philip Guston, Louise Bourgeois, Allan Kaprow, Hans Arp, Günther Förg, or Arshile Gorski.

With Hauser & Wirth, it was evident that the boundary between an art gallery and a museum seems to dissolve. The gallery has grown more prominent than most museums, and adequately so, exhibiting what it takes to be a real mega-gallery. As a result, nowadays, Hauser & Wirth is the second-biggest art gallery in the world.

Installation view of ‘Berlinde De Bruyckere: Stages & Tales’ at Hauser & Wirth in Somerset (2018) Berlinde De Bruyckere (c) Photo: Mirjam Devriendt

Then there is their ubiquitous presence in the second market, showcasing the works of Francis Bacon, Louise Bourgeois, Willem de Kooning, Lucio Fontana, Roy Liechtenstein, Man Ray, Piero Manzoni, Jackson Pollock, and more. These blockbuster exhibitions result in incredible sales and hundreds of thousands of visitors, rivaling the visitor numbers of the most important museum institutions.

These figures speak for themselves, answering the issue of our status quo: who is the most significant art gallery in the world? Consequently, we are thrilled to announce that today’s most extensive art gallery in the world is Gagosian.

Conclusion

• The Gagosian Gallery is considered the world’s most extensive art gallery, with seventeen sites worldwide and over twenty thousand square meters of exhibition space.
• Mega-galleries, defined by their scale, staffing count, artist caliber, and well-planned shows, are becoming influential in the contemporary art scene.
• The top 10 largest art galleries globally, ranked based on square meters, number of locations, staff members, artist rankings, and web visibility, include notable names like Gagosian, Lehmann Maupin, Perrotin, Thaddaeus Ropac, Lisson Gallery, David Zwirner, Pace Gallery, Hauser & Wirth, and Cube White.
• Hauser & Wirth is identified as the second-largest art gallery in the world, with fifteen gallery sites across the globe, encompassing 20,000 square meters and approximately 200 staff members.