Gagosian Grosvenor Hill
Grosvenor Hill is Gagosian’s largest London gallery, showing work by influential modern and contemporary artists including Cy Twombly, Ed Ruscha, Pablo Picasso, Alberto Giacometti, Helen Frankenthaler and Jonas Wood. Will Pirkis led the project for Caruso St John from 2014 to 2016, working closely with the gallery, design team, the main contractor Westgreen, and specialist subcontractors.
The galleries are naturally lit by large windows to the surrounding streets, and by an illuminated ceiling developed with Arup Lighting. LED arrays behind the glass can be used with fixed settings, or linked to the changing lux level and colour temperature of the sky outside. The ceiling provides even wall illumination, with or without track lighting, allowing a high level of curatorial flexibility. The gallery is a not entirely abstract environment that can accommodate different kinds of exhibitions, with a rich floor of oak end grain blocks, and long, high hanging walls making room like spaces.
Offices and viewing rooms are located on the first floor, along with an office reception, research library, specialist art storage, and staff facilities. The spaces are carefully organised to enable the gallery to operate in a dignified and efficient way. Viewing rooms and director’s offices are distributed around the plan, maintaining momentum and establishing beneficial relationships between the different spaces. The oak floor continues throughout the first floor, in the form of long boards in the same dark colour as the galleries, while lightly fumed oak is used for bespoke doors and furniture.
Gagosian Grosvenor Hill with Caruso St John. Image Hélène Binet
Offices at Gagosian Grosvenor Hill, with Caruso St John. Image Hélène Binet
Viewing rooms at Gagosian Grosvenor Hill, with Caruso St John. Image Hélène Binet