On May 30, American mega gallery Pace opened a museum-scale retrospective of American sculptor Alexander Calder in Tokyo, presenting over 100 works by the 20th-century modernist, together with the Calder Foundation, at the new Azabudai Hills Gallery. Pace is adding its vote of confidence to the Japanese capital’s rise as a contemporary art hotspot. “Our love for Japan, Japanese aesthetics and its art community accounts for so much of this decision [to open a gallery],” said Marc Glimcher, Pace’s New York-based CEO and a son of the gallery’s founder, Arne.
Unlike Seoul during the pandemic, Japan did not see an influx of Western galleries either opening there for the first time of expanding existing spaces. Pace will be the first major Western gallery to open in Tokyo since Perrotin arrived in 2017. But with the launch of Tokyo Gendai and Art Week Tokyo, the latter of which started in 2021, the country’s already rich cultural offerings have become more eye-catching.
“The energy in Tokyo has shifted and Americans and Europeans are spending so much more time there. “Like Paris, Japan has become more than an occasional tourist destination. Overseas collectors are buying houses there.
Things are happening there that you do not want to miss. On balance, Japan’s energy has been very positive in our world.” Japan has long been a favourite among Hong Kong holidaymakers, with many affectionately calling their frequent short hops to the country “going home”.
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