Museums.art

Art galleryWhite Cube

The London gallery that launched the Young British Artists, now with spaces in Asia, Paris and New York.

Founded
1993, London
Founded by
Jay Jopling
Run from
London
Spaces in
5 cities
Highest reported sale
$11.5 million

The gallery

White Cube opened in May 1993 in a single small room on Duke Street, in St James's, among the Old Master dealers of London. The room was a square of white walls, which gave the gallery its name, and the rule was that an artist could show there only once. Jay Jopling used it to introduce Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin, Marc Quinn and the generation that became known as the Young British Artists.

The gallery moved east to Hoxton Square in 2000, at the moment that part of London became the centre of its art scene, and returned to St James's in 2006 with a new building in Mason's Yard. In 2011 it opened in Bermondsey, south of the river, in a former warehouse that was then the largest commercial gallery space in Europe.

Hong Kong followed in 2012, and Paris, Seoul and New York more recently. The programme has widened with it, from British artists to Anselm Kiefer, Georg Baselitz, Julie Mehretu and Theaster Gates.

Reported sales

  1. Julie MehretuCharioteer, 2007$11.5 millionArt Basel Paris 2025
  2. Alexander CalderA mobile, 1973$4.85 millionArt Basel Paris 2025
  3. Damien HirstWhen the Heart Speaks, 2005$2.5 millionArt Basel Miami Beach 2025
  4. Tracey EminTo Much Force, 2025$1.6 millionArt Basel Miami Beach 2025
  5. Luc TuymansA painting, 2001$1.35 millionArt Basel Paris 2025
  6. Tracey EminKnowing My Enemy, 2002£1.25 millionArt Basel 2026

Prices as the gallery reported them from its stand at the fair named. They are the seller's figures, usually the asking price, and cannot be checked.

Artists and estates

  • Damien Hirst
  • Tracey Emin
  • Antony Gormley
  • Gilbert & George
  • Anselm Kiefer
  • Georg Baselitz
  • Julie Mehretu
  • Theaster Gates
  • Mona Hatoum
  • Gabriel Orozco
  • Cerith Wyn Evans
  • Michael Armitage
  • Ibrahim Mahama
  • Beatriz Milhazes
  • Sarah Morris
  • David Altmejd
  • Christine Ay Tjoe
  • Louise Giovanelli

A selection. Rosters change, and the gallery's own site has the full list.

Milestones

  1. 1993The first gallery opens on Duke Street, St James's.
  2. 2000The move to Hoxton Square, in east London.
  3. 2006Mason's Yard opens, back in St James's.
  4. 2011Bermondsey opens, the largest commercial gallery in Europe at the time.
  5. 2012Hong Kong: the first gallery outside Britain.
  6. 2023New York opens on Madison Avenue, and Seoul the same year.

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