Art

A stone’s throw from the building in which he opened the first White Cube gallery in 1993, the new space marks his return to the West End. When Jopling moved to Hoxton Square six years ago, Victoria Miro and others followed, provoking a veritable stampede; some 120 galleries have since opened in the area.

Why, then, is Jopling returning to his old hunting ground? ‘It’s about being central,’ he says, ‘building a gallery that allows us to make exhibitions that are more accessible geographically, especially for people who are only in London for two days. The East End misses out on that so, from a business point of view, being in the West End will be beneficial. It also reinforces our commitment to London; we’ll be able to do four shows at once, since each gallery has two spaces, and they’ll probably attract different audiences – about 3,000 people come to our exhibitions!’ Feature continues

Designed by MRJ Rundell, architects of the Hoxton Square gallery, the new White Cube is like a ship that has inadvertently docked on dry land. Covered in white-painted render, the tall, narrow building has few windows – to provide as much uninterrupted wall space as possible – but is topped with a light beam, similar to the one drawing light into Tate Modern. The design is extremely clever; considering the confined space the building occupies, the inside is unexpectedly light and airy. Beneath the courtyard is a subterranean gallery, lit by glass panels let into the paving overhead. There’s a large, ground-floor gallery and on the first floor a double-height, top-lit cube. Jopling’s office has a glass wall opening on to a roof terrace with spectacular views of surrounding buildings. Showing me round is Tim Marlowe. He remarks, with only a hint of irony, that this is ‘the seat of power for the London art world’.

What strikes me most about this impressive enterprise is that, with its large and austere galleries, the building resembles a museum. The message is clear: work exhibited here is destined for major collections. In fact, White Cube is the nearest thing there is in the commercial sector to an institution – so much so that Craig Burnett and Susan May have joined it from Tate Modern. Jopling’s commitment to fostering creativity has earned him enormous respect and has attracted superstars like Andreas Gursky and Jeff Wall to join the stable of some 50 artists.

‘The main purpose of the exhibitions,’ says Marlowe, ‘is not commercial. It’s to stage something dramatic, to provide space for artists to produce something ambitious so their work can develop. To a certain extent, it’s a marketing strategy; even if the work doesn’t sell, there are spin-offs. You wouldn’t last long in the current climate as a “pile ’em high and flog ’em off” kind of dealer.

‘It’s also about developing an international context for British artists; 70 per cent of our exhibitions have been of artists born or based overseas. The key for ongoing success is to transcend your generation and Jay shows people from Lucien Freud and Chuck Close to the YBAs and younger artists. Next June, Damien Hirst will show in both galleries, but Hoxton Square will also be used for experimental work by younger artists.’

My story begins and ends with missed openings and two sharks. Jopling entered the scene big time when he persuaded Charles Saatchi to commission Damien Hirst’s pickled shark, and opening his new gallery is a shark skeleton covered in patterns by Gabriel Orozco. Jopling skipped the launch of Hoxton Square to be with his wife, Sam Taylor-Wood, who was being treated for cancer; he may miss the opening of Mason’s Yard, for a happier reason – the birth of their second child. There’s a lot to celebrate.