Jay Jopling: The Gallerist Who Changed The Face Of British Art

Stylish and sociable, Jay Jopling, the English art dealer, has covertly shaped the British art scene for nearly three decades. He is largely credited for making artists, Tracey Emin, Damien Hirst, Jake and Dinos Chapman and Antony Gormley, household names. Born in 1963, Jopling was brought up in Yorkshire and educated at Eton and Edinburgh University, where he studied English Literature and History of Art.

Whilst at Edinburgh, Jopling’s appetite for contemporary art inspired him to organise a charity auction of work donated by some of the big names of the era, including Julian Schnabel. His dealing career progressed in conjunction with his close connection to a number of artists; in addition to his former wife Taylor-Wood, Jopling forged a trusting professional relationship with Tracey Emin and, crucially, Damien Hirst. Jopling has established himself as a key figure in the art world and has been instrumental in repositioning London as the leading international centre for contemporary art.

In May 1993 Jopling opened the original White Cube on the first floor of 44 Duke Street, St James, in the West End. Located in the most traditional art-dealing street in London, the gallery was surrounded by Old Master galleries, antique dealers and specialist art bookshops. Its exhibition policy was to provide a one-off showcase for both British and international artists. Since then White Cube has presented solo shows of the most challenging British artists over the last two decades, and is regarded internationally as one of the world’s premier galleries.

Jopling set up a larger second gallery space in April 2000; White Cube Hoxton Square was housed in a converted 1920s industrial building but the gallery space closed in December 2012. White Cube Mason’s Yard, situated off Duke Street, home of the original White Cube, opened in 2006. Previously the site of an electricity sub-station, the gallery was the first free-standing structure to be built in historic St James for more than thirty years. The inaugural exhibition presented Gabriel Orozco, and the programme has gone on to include internationally renowned artists such as Mona Hatoum, Anselm Kiefer and Jeff Wall.

White Cube Bermondsey, opened in October 2012, and is the largest of the gallery’s four sites, providing more than 5440 meter squared of interior space. The gallery includes three exhibition spaces, substantial warehousing, an auditorium and a bookshop. Jopling’s empire continues to grow with the development of projects in Hong Kong and São Paulo.

Text by Keshav Anand