Galerie XII Los Angeles opened in the Fall of 2018 in order to promote and exhibit the artwork of innovative contemporary photographers with a focus on European and Asian artists who have not previously been exhibited on the West Coast. The curatorial selection draws from an existing group of artists represented by parent company Galerie Photo 12, Paris, as well as bringing the work of progressive, new creators to the Los Angeles community through focused solo shows and challenging thematic group exhibitions. The inaugural exhibition by Polish aerial photographer Kacper Kowalski, OVER / Side Effects, opened last Saturday December 1st to a crowd of 150+ visitors. Forthcoming exhibitions in 2019 include solo presentations by Norwegian artist Anja Niemi, Germans Christopher Thomas and Klaus Frahm, Catalan painter and photographer Antoni Taule and an all female group exhibition planned for Summer 2019.
A serendipitous collaboration between Valerie–Anne Giscard d’Estaing (Galerie Photo 12, Paris) and former Peter Fetterman Gallery Director and independent curator, now Director of Galerie XII, Douglas Marshall, the new space lies at the heart of LA’s Miracle Mile neighboring the LACMA museum. In a time that sees many veteran and mid-level galleries closing their doors, preferring the affordability of the pop-up approach, Giscard and Marshall found that a brick-and-mortar space, even a mid-size one, still provides an intimate space for collectors to view works and exhibitions with a sense of trust that a permanent space provides. Following their shared interest in exhibiting innovative contemporary European photography in LA, a city rich in visual art history that for decades has found mostly only classic photography exhibited in genres of fashion, street, celebrity and icons, they saw a window of opportunity to amplify exciting international voices in the medium.
