Hales is proud to celebrate 10 years in New York this month, marking an important milestone in the gallery’s 34-year international history.
Founded by Paul Hedge and Paul Maslin in London in 1992, Hales launched its New York program in February 2016 under the leadership of Stuart Morrison, with the opening of the Hales Project Room on the Lower East Side. Conceived as a space for focused exhibitions and artist-led dialogues, the initiative laid the foundation for the gallery’s expansion to Chelsea in 2018 — a decisive step that solidified the gallery’s long-term commitment to North America. In 2024, Hales joined the Art Dealers Association of America (ADAA), marking recognition of the gallery’s sustained contribution to the American art ecosystem.
Established as a deliberate commitment to the American art landscape, Hales has embedded itself within the cultural fabric of the United States while deepening a transatlantic dialogue. Over the past decade, the gallery has presented more than 45 significant solo and group exhibitions, championing exceptional American artists alongside an international roster that reflects the global scope of contemporary practice.
The program intentionally bridges generations, placing historically important voices in dialogue with emerging and mid-career artists whose work expands and reshapes contemporary art histories. The New York gallery has presented significant exhibitions by artists including Kay WalkingStick, Virginia Jaramillo, Sunil Gupta, Sir Frank Bowling, Shelley Niro, and Rotimi Fani-Kayode — pioneering voices whose practices have expanded and redefined art history — in dialogue with artists such as Ebony G. Patterson, Chitra Ganesh, Andrea Geyer, Anthony Cudahy, Jordan Ann Craig, and Haroun Hayward, whose work continues to shape contemporary discourse.
The gallery’s sustained engagement in the United States has translated into significant institutional recognition. Hales has collaborated with museums across the country on numerous exhibitions, including seminal solo presentations and retrospectives, while works by gallery artists are now held in major museum collections. Institutions with which Hales has built meaningful collaborations include The Museum of Modern Art; The Metropolitan Museum of Art; Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum; Whitney Museum of American Art; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; Smithsonian American Art Museum; Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art; Toledo Museum of Art; Pérez Art Museum Miami; and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, among others. The gallery also regularly collaborates with the most prestigious international art exhibitions across the world, including the Venice, Sydney, Dakar, and São Paulo biennials.
“The decision to expand Hales to New York ten years ago has proven to be one of the most significant in the gallery’s history,” said Paul Hedge, co-founder. “We are immensely proud of what has been achieved over the past decade and grateful for the leadership, commitment, and hard work that have shaped its success.”
“As we enter our second decade in New York, our commitment is both long-term and ambitious,” said Stuart Morrison, Managing Director. “We opened here not simply to extend our London program, but to embed ourselves meaningfully within the American art world — investing in artists’ careers over time and contributing to the expanding narratives that shape art history today. The next chapter will build on that foundation, with continued focus on institutional partnerships, ambitious exhibitions, and sustained artist development. We are deeply appreciative of the artists, collectors, institutions, and colleagues who have been part of this journey.”