The artist Jeffrey Gibson has joined the roster of the mega-gallery Hauser & Wirth. Gibson—who is a member of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, of Cherokee descent, based in upstate New York and currently representing the United States at the 2024 Venice Biennale (until 24 November)—will also continue working with his longtime gallery in New York, Sikkema Jenkins & Co. His first solo show at Hauser & Wirth is scheduled for October 2025 in Paris and, in the more immediate future, the gallery will show one of his new works at Art Basel Paris (18-20 October).
Known for his brightly chromatic paintings and sculptures incorporating found phrases and traditional Indigenous processes and materials like tin jingles, elk hides and beadwork, Gibson’s practice often also includes elements of installation and performance. His riotously colourful transformation of the US Pavilion in Venice incorporates exterior murals and a bright-red sculptural platform for performances and other public events.
Installation view of the space in which to place me, Jeffrey Gibson’s exhibition for the United States Pavilion at the 60th Venice Biennale (until 24 November), including from left to right: IF NOT NOW THEN WHEN (2024), The Enforcer (2024) and WE WANT TO BE FREE (2024). Mural: WE ARE MADE BY HISTORY (2024) Photo: Timothy Schenck. All works © Jeffrey Gibson. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth
“Through his paintings, sculpture, public installations, performances and collaborations to advance learning, Jeffrey illuminates the most challenging and profound issues with wit and joy,” Marc Payot, Hauser & Wirth’s president, said in a statement. “He uses his art to generate an ongoing critique of American culture that is simultaneously fierce and loving, forceful and radiant—and ultimately incredibly generous in the way it includes us all. His ideas and practice align with those of many artists in our programme, from Mike Kelley to Frank Bowling, from Isa Genzken to Sophie Taeuber-Arp, as well as other greats like Bridget Riley and Katharina Grosse, whose art he cites as touchstones.”
Jeffrey Gibson relaxing on one of his sculptures at the US Pavilion in Venice The Art Newspaper
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Gibson’s partnership with one of the world’s biggest commercial galleries comes at a transformational moment in his career, including not only his presentation in Venice—where he is the first solo Indigenous artist to represent the US—but also a forthcoming commission for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s façade in New York (in September 2025) and a solo exhibition at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art opening next month. It also comes at a time of growing interest in contemporary Indigenous art from curators and collectors, and amid rising primary- and secondary-market demand.
In addition to Sikkema Jenkins & Co, Gibson previously worked with the Chicago-based dealer Kavi Gupta, although last year the artist sued Gupta for allegedly withholding more than $600,000 in payments. (Gupta denied any wrongdoing.)
Gibson’s predecessor at the US Pavilion in Venice’s Giardini, Simone Leigh, was also represented by Hauser & Wirth for a time, although she ultimately left the gallery to work with Matthew Marks Gallery instead.