Hauser & Wirth: The Outsiders' Love Letter to Artists

October, 2024  Fanyu Lin for Financial Times (Chinese)

In the glittering world of high art, legacy often begins in the cultural capitals of New York, London, or Paris. “We were outsiders to begin with,” Iwan Wirth reflects, recalling Hauser & Wirth’s distinctive origins in the art-loving cities of Switzerland. Founded in 1992 in Zurich by Iwan Wirth, Manuela Wirth, and Ursula Hauser, and later joined by Marc Payot at the end of 1999, the gallery has since grown into one of the very few global mega-galleries. My interviews with their three Presidents, Iwan, Manuela, and Marc, for the latest edition of the Global Leadership Conversation series hinted at something deeper, more complex. Would it be a blend of idealism, strategy, and moments that blur the line between their love for artists, commercial ambition, and something much greater above all?

Iwan Wirth, Manuela Wirth and Marc Payot, Presidents, Hauser & Wirth, Courtesy Hauser & Wirth, Photo: David Needleman

“We worked our way in.”

For Hauser & Wirth, launching from the periphery of the global art scene wasn’t just a challenge—it became a shared revelation. Iwan's fascination began early, at age 12: “That was the first time I remember going into a commercial art gallery. I was fascinated by the smell of oil paint... it never leaves you. Whenever I step into an artist’s studio, I’m taken right back to 1982.” Fast forward ten years, and alongside Manuela’s mother, Ursula, an avid collector of modern masters, Iwan co-founded Hauser & Wirth from his Zurich apartment.

 Manuela’s path was rooted in education. Initially balancing teaching with helping at the gallery, she recalls, “I was still teaching arts and crafts to kids, aged 6 to 16, in a small country school.” Her early passion for nurturing minds translated seamlessly into a commitment to supporting artists—an ethos that remains central to the gallery today. 

Marc entered the picture 25 years ago, equipped with a business education, yet his true love for art was sparked early on—his mother ran a small gallery outside Basel. His blend of global ambition and a sharp eye for detail has been instrumental in shaping Hauser & Wirth’s evolution, adding a unique dynamic to the team’s collective vision.

I think one of the big differences to the other bigger galleries is that we were outsiders to begin with. What I mean is we were in Switzerland. We were not in one of the centers of marketplaces for arts. And when you are an outsider, you have only one opportunity, and that's taking the benefit of being an outsider.

- Iwan Wirth, President and Co-Founder of Hauser & Wirth

In their home country, “every village has a little museum... and every village has an artist that the local community supports,” they proudly recounted. This early exposure to such an artistic society profoundly shaped their vision. Yet it wasn’t until they expanded abroad that they realized just how rare this environment was. The richness of Swiss artistic life inspired them to replicate that sense of accessibility and community-driven support globally, scaling a model that bridges art with the local cultures they engage.

“Being an outsider allows you to challenge the system, the existing systems. So, you have no choice but to do things differently and not follow conventions. That’s been built into our DNA. It makes no sense to follow trends because when you're not in the center, you're too late. You have to set precedents; you have to set the trends. It’s the only way. That’s where we ambush expectations,” Iwan reflects.

They had to seek out artists overlooked by the mainstream. In their early years, they began working with groundbreaking yet undervalued figures like Louise Bourgeois, Mary Heilmann, Jack Whitten, and David Hammons and took on neglected estates such as Eva Hesse’s. At the time, New York galleries were reluctant to engage with artist estates, seeing them as too much work and not commercially viable. Hauser & Wirth stepped in, becoming real experts in working with these estates, reviving their significance. This approach also led them, naturally, to champion women artists and artists of color long before diversity became a mainstream conversation. Today, nearly half of the gallery's roster consists of female artists.

Louise Bourgeois, ‘Happy Birthday, Ursula,’ 1999 © The Easton Foundation/DACS

“We worked our way in, but we brought that mentality of continuously asking ourselves what we're doing, finding new ways, pushing the envelope, and trying to challenge the system. That has made us very different, and I guess that has made us successful, apart from other things we've contributed,” Iwan conveys. Even as they made their way to the top, they stayed true to the values that set them apart, operating in a way that is less transactional and more relational—turning the focus back on what matters most: the artists.

“Artists first, always.”

“From day one, we’ve lived by our motto: ‘Artists first, always.’ We act in the artist’s best interest, and that’s long-term.”They are one of the first galleries to create an Artist Liaison role, a unique position that allows close collaboration with the artists, helping them with everything from exhibitions to creating multi-year business plans. “We give them support,”Iwan adds. “That’s why we started publishing 25 years ago—it was something our artists wanted, to have their stories told in new ways, by new voices.”

“We are very strategic in our work with artists. We want to win their heart and soul!” Iwan shares passionately. They create opportunities, connect artists with scholars, and strategize with institutions to ensure the work has a lasting impact. About a decade ago, the gallery went further by launching a dedicated learning department spearheaded by Manuela. “Because we realized that artists care deeply about who will see their shows, how they see it, and how we can increase access. The market is one thing, but it's much more than that,” Iwan explains. It's about access, education, and the community they create.  

Marc vividly recalled a moment with Amy Sherald, whose works are intensely personal and culturally significant, “I remember how she told me, ‘The reason I paint what I paint is to reflect on what is missing in a museum. And how can I close that gap? How can I, as a Black woman with my identity, try to close that gap so that for a Black visitor in museums or galleries, there is relevance?’” Before the pandemic, Sherald’s show at their Chelsea, New York location drew a line down the block, filled with people who had never set foot in a gallery. “People would come and simply come for an hour at the gallery and look very intently, intensely at every single painting.” Marc shared. He noted how moments like these, when the artist, place, and cultural context align, create profound emotional connections beyond a typical gallery show. It becomes a shared experience, reflecting societal needs and resonating intimately with audiences searching for representation and meaning.

Still Image from Amy Sherald on ‘The World We Make’, Courtesy Hauser & Wirth

At her 2022 show Amy Sherald: The World We Make at their London gallery, one powerful painting, For Love, and for Country, reimagines Alfred Eisenstaedt’s iconic photograph, often called “The Kiss”, which shows a U.S. Navy sailor in Times Square kissing a woman upon hearing news of Japan’s surrender in World War II. In Sherald’s recreation, there’s more to contemplate or perhaps more to celebrate—the stories we’ve yet to tell. In her version, it’s two Black male soldiers.

Shifting the view to Asia, Hauser & Wirth has taken a deliberate approach, from elevating Asian artists on global stages to bringing their international roster to audiences across Asia. “Zeng Fanzhi, one of the most renowned painters in China, had a significant presence at the Venice Biennale this year at Miséricordia, where LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) presented his work with an installation designed by architect Tadao Ando. We were so thrilled to help facilitate this because it's what Fanzhi needs—to get on the global platform where all great curators and collectors can see the strength of his work.” 

Installation photograph of the LACMA exhibition Zeng Fanzhi: Near and Far/Now and Then, Scuola Grande Della Misericordia in Venice, Italy, 2024 © Zeng Fanzhi. Photo: Stefan Altenburger Photography Zürich

Marc adds, “Our commitment to Asia, on the one hand, starts with presenting Asian artists on the international platform and, at the same time, bringing our most important artists to key institutions in Asia.” Such current exhibitions include Nicolas Party at Hoam Museum of Art in Yongin, Korea, and Louise Bourgeois at Mori Museum of Art in Tokyo. Bourgeois’s exhibition will also travel to Fubon Art Museum in Taiwan next spring and Hoam Museum of Art next autumn. These efforts intertwine cultural knowledge, care, and dedication, as Marc remarked, “This is really a beautiful exchange and something we deeply believe in.” 

Furthermore, the gallery’s love letter to artists extends to rethinking how the entire art ecosystem can be strengthened to provide better support for artists. Marc championed a “Collective Impact” model that creates joint ventures between Hauser & Wirth and smaller galleries. Instead of poaching artists, they partner with smaller entities, pooling resources to advance an artist's career. Both galleries share decision-making and profits, creating an innovative, symbiotic relationship that focuses on elevating the artist. “The profit within that joint venture is split 50/50. Many partnerships exist between different galleries. That's very common across our market. But what doesn't exist is really a partnership, 50/50, for an artist,” Marc adds. “We hope that this model or similar models will be adopted by our competitors.”

“No, it’s spiritual.”

As Hauser & Wirth expands globally, they consistently resist the pressure to prioritize short-term gains over long-term, meaningful impact. They increasingly double down on their investments in learning programs, including Artists-In-Residence, the International Curatorial Residency, and Education Labs in locations like Somerset, Menorca, Downtown Los Angeles, and Hong Kong, while committing to capital-intensive architecture projects to house and support these initiatives—arguably more so than any other gallery. Their community-building efforts were evident in the 474 events hosted globally in 2024, with over 105,000 participants. When asked if these investments are business-driven, Iwan says, “No, it's spiritual. We are educating; we are investing in a new generation of artists, writers, scholars, and in society—you know, in people, our audience.”

Oudolf Field, Hauser & Wirth Somerset, Courtesy Hauser & Wirth, Photo: Jason Ingram

Hauser & Wirth repurposed the historical outbuildings of Isla del Rey into a 1,500 sq.m. art center. Hauser & Wirth Menorca, Courtesy Hauser & Wirth

Manuela shared the story of their recent initiative in Hong Kong, the Mark Bradford Education Lab: ‘Merchant Posters.’ In partnership with the local social enterprise Bridge+, the program invited young people from the Sham Shui Po neighborhood to explore screen printing and photo emulsion techniques. Bradford’s project transcended his own art, engaging students with issues like housing and gentrification, connecting struggles from Los Angeles to Hong Kong. What began as an educational workshop evolved into a powerfully resonant mural, reflecting both local and universal challenges. 

“The students will be next to Mark Bradford; they will have their merchant posters created during the workshops next to Mark’s works. You can only imagine what this means for them—it will be lifelong. They will always remember the time spent creating alongside this famous artist. We believe that art can change lives,” Manuela expressed wholeheartedly.

Participants explored Mark Bradford’s ‘Merchant Poster’ body of work in the Education Lab, 2024. Photo: Ivan Chan

Exhibition view, Mark Bradford: Keep Walking, Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart © Courtesy Mark Bradford and Hauser & Wirth / Photo: © Staatlichen Museen zu Berlin, Nationalgalerie / Jacopo LaForgia. The exhibition will travel to Amorepacific Museum of Art in Seoul in August 2025.

Born and raised in South Central Los Angeles, Bradford navigated a world shaped by his experiences as a Black gay man, working as a hairdresser in his mother’s salon before pursuing art school in his thirties. “He’s become one of the top artists living and working today,” Iwan remarks. “That is hugely motivational, and he continues to care about the community deeply—that’s the magic of the learning program, and so many artists are following in his footsteps.” 

“If we think artists are pioneers, then we need to give access. And I think it also has something to do with being Swiss, where we had the privilege of being exposed to art and museums throughout the country from when we were born. The density of museums and artists in Switzerland is so high that we didn't realize it was special when we lived there. We only realized what was missing when we left,” Iwan recalled with a touch of nostalgia.

That’s probably why their approach feels so genuinely human—a love letter to artists and a commitment that transcends the traditional gallery business model. They worked their way in to create a space where artists come first, always. As Marc concludes, “It's not just philanthropy. It's a business model, but it’s a very authentic one.” For them, it’s not only about the bottom line; it’s also spiritual.