Quitting his university studies at the age of 17, Emmanuel Perrotin knew early on he wanted to pursue his passion for art. Apprenticing at an elite Paris gallery and quickly learning the ropes, he became the director at age 18. Three years later in 1989, striking out on his own, Perrotin boldly went on to open his first gallery in his apartment. Through years of trial and error and promoting his artists in ways untraditional to the art world, Perrotin opened Galerie Perrotin in 2005, in a converted 17th-century mansion. Soon outgrowing the space, Perrotin christened another location next to the initial gallery along with a bookshop. All told, the area now occupy over 25,000 square feet. Takashi Murakami, a well-known pop artist from Japan, but not known internationally, was one of the first artists Perrotin represented who went on to international fame. Other artists in his stable include Wim Delvoye, Johan Creten, Maurizio Cattelan, Jean-Michel Othoniel, Pierre Soulages, and Sophie Calle. The Perrotin art empire has ambitiously expanded internationally in recent years with galleries opening in New York, Tokyo, Seoul, and Hong Kong. Perrotin is a big mover and shaker in the art world, and the gallery participates in major art fairs including Art Basel in Miami and Switzerland, FIAC Paris, and Frieze in London and New York. (Galerie Perrotin, 76 rue de Turenne, and 10 Impasse Saint-Claude. www.perrotin.com).
Josh Sperling at the Galerie Perrotin
Creten at the Galerie Perrotin
