Developed in close collaboration with the Calder Foundation, ‘Calder | O’Keeffe’ brings together exceptional works by both artists, complemented by archival materials documenting their decades-long friendship.

Informed by research undertaken with the guidance of the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, the exhibition reflects Hauser & Wirth’s foundational commitment to cultivating new perspectives on canonical artists, fostering original art historical scholarship and catalyzing cultural dialogue among artists and the public: the inaugural Palo Alto exhibition ‘Calder | O’Keeffe’ harkens in spirit back to the gallery’s very first public exhibition, ‘Alexander Calder. Mobiles and Gouaches’ / ‘Joan Miró. Sculptures and Paintings,’ presented in Zurich in 1992.

‘Calder | O’Keeffe’ is organized by Hauser & Wirth Curatorial Senior Director Alexis Lowry. The exhibition is Hauser & Wirth’s second major presentation of Calder’s work in California—the critically acclaimed exhibition ‘Calder: Nonspace’ was held at the gallery’s downtown Los Angeles complex in 2018.

Hauser & Wirth’s gallery in Palo Alto occupies a century-old post office building at 201–225 Hamilton Avenue in the heart of downtown, a short distance from Stanford University. Typical of early twentieth-century Bay Area architecture, the corner building features expansive street-level windows and 2,600 square feet of exhibition space, including a Bookshop. A program of exhibitions will be complemented by talks, events and educational initiatives.

The new location will be led by Beatrice Shen, Senior Director, who has played a central role in Hauser & Wirth’s West Coast presence, having helped oversee its Downtown Los Angeles Arts District location and leading the gallery’s participation in San Francisco’s FOG Design+Art fair.

The adaptation of the historic site by architect Luis Laplace, Principal of Laplace and a longstanding collaborator of the gallery, continues Hauser & Wirth’s commitment to the adaptive conservation of architecturally significant buildings. This Northern California space joins the gallery’s network of spaces that have been thoughtfully transformed for contemporary cultural use while preserving their original character, creating a new platform for artists and audiences within the Bay Area‘s dynamic cultural community.

Hauser & Wirth’s relationship to the art and artists of California dates to its founding in 1992. Representing eleven California artists and estates, Hauser & Wirth is dedicated to sharing the extraordinary contributions of the state’s cultural and creative innovations internationally.

Marc Payot, President, said ‘California—the defining role its artists, institutions, patrons, collectors and geographic attributes have played in the evolution of modern and contemporary art—has been integral to Hauser & Wirth’s vision and program since our founding more than three decades ago. Los Angeles, where we maintain important spaces in the Downtown Arts District and West Hollywood, is a globally recognized hub of cultural production and home to many of the exceptional artists we represent. But Northern California occupies an equally powerful position as home to a fantastically dedicated community of collectors and the museums they have built. Perched in its prime spot on the edge of the Pacific Rim and populated by generations of astute and ambitious patrons of the arts, the Bay Area is a place where we are proud to be creating a new space, an energy center for our artists and the community.’