The Real Deal

An exclusive interview with international art dealer Pascal de Sarthe.

- Nadya Wang

In 2012, after a long and successful first run in Paris then America as gallerists, Pascal and Sylvie de Sarthe opened a gallery in Hong Kong in Central, motivated by the time they were already spending in Asia for their business. Earlier this year, they moved to a bigger space at Wong Chuk Hang, attracted, as with other galleries which have opened in the area, by the lower rents and the easier access with the opening of the MTR South Island Line at the end of 2016.

De Sarthe gallery has, in the past 6 years, solidified their place in the Hong Kong art scene with headlining exhibitions, beginning with ‘Zao Wou-Ki Paintings: 1950s-1960s’, following up with the sophomore show of American artist David LaChapelle, and continuing with other well-received solo as well as group shows, such as ‘Gutai’ and ‘Pioneers of Chinese Modern Paintings in Paris’.

The latest exhibition, ‘Departures: Intersecting Modern Vietnamese Art with R. Streitmatter-Tran’, in collaboration with Singapore-based art agency Art Agenda S.E.A., continues in the gallery’s pioneering trajectory in presenting trendsetting curatorial ideas and content. For the show, which opened in late May, the Vietnamese contemporary artist Streit matter - Tran created new works in response to the oeuvres of Vietnamese art masters such as Le Pho and Vu Cao Dam.

De Sarthe Gallery has, through the years, been active in both the secondary and primary markets, dealing in works by international modern masters as well as supporting emerging contemporary artists. Pascal’s son, Vincent, has taken up the mantle for the latter in Beijing, running De Sarthe Gallery at Caochangdi, set up in 2014 as a platform for emerging Chinese artists. The current exhibition, ‘Bu Qian’, which runs till end June, presents the new work of Zhou Wendou, who has devoted his practice to installations built around the camera as the subject.