Tell us about your background!
Born in France, raised in Germany. I grew up traveling many parts of the world, mostly due to my parents and having family spread out. My mother was with the embassy of Senegal for many years and my father did landscape architecture all over Southern Europe. I grew up in Bonn, which was the German capital and gave great exposure to culture and diversity. Later I went to a business college in Cambridge and then moved to New York about 15 years ago. I Love New York City with everything it has to offer.
You have a background in finance. How did it prepare you for the art world?
I did financial controlling as a senior analyst for about 30 hotels at Hyatt and it was a very good experience that helped me understand numbers and the importance of synergies. Synergies between various people, roles and departments. I believe synergies are very relevant in the art world as well. The actual artwork is a beautiful story reflecting the artist input on his or her upbringing, cultural environment, impacts, and the collector that sees it. They are all synergistic.. Then of course the art world and running a gallery demand a financial understanding that help create a platform where artists can blossom.
What is your relation to Solomon Guggenheim?
It’s distant. The Guggenheim family is originally Swiss and in the mid 1800s immigrated to America and France. I’m from the French side whereas Solomon made a significant name for himself and his family in America many years ago. My mother’s family name is Guggenheim and she came from a family of industrialists.
How often are you asked about your last name?
Often.
How long have you been coming to Basel and why is it important for you to be there?
For years now. Basel Miami is quite different from the Basel fair where it originated from yet it is just as important. The Who is who In the art world is here to collect and mingle. It’s very dynamic and you have to be there at least for a couple of days if not longer.
What pieces are you bringing this year?
A very important sculptor and painter Zurab Tsereteli. Tsereteli’s large scale sculptures are very well known and have become monumental in cities all around the world. He also holds the position as president of the Russian academy of arts. We are going to show his sculptures smaller in size but just as impressive around the theme of a “Garden of Eden” of animals. I’m very much looking forward.
What is unique about your gallery?
We have done shows other galleries may have not taken on as they may have been perceived as not commercially viable enough. However, we are in it for the long term. We very much strive to create advantageous positions for artists and our patrons and collectors alike. When working for the artists essentially you work for his viability and career which creates value. That’s always our goal. Then we have very special projects that get us as a gallery attention such as the mural above the renown Empire restaurant in Chelsea NY recently painted by Brazilian painter Kobra. But this is us as the gallery creating opportunities for artists that we can align with.
What’s your personal art collection like?
Very synergetic to the shows we exhibit. It reflects my belief and support of the artists I represent or work with. That is not to say that i don’t buy what i like. It has expanded over the years.
What is your favorite thing to do in Miami during Art Basel?
Walking the fairs and enjoying curated events just like the event and collaboration between Daily Front row and HG Contemporary at Faena. It’s a great opportunity to meet great and interesting people. I’m glad Courtney Daniels made the connection.
What do you have lined up for next year?
2018 has been exciting with Madrid opening a space in Napa Valley. 2019 will be just as exciting with another space opening hopefully and more amazing shows that cement our position in the art world as one of the striving galleries. I’ll let myself be surprised, but the best is coming.
Philippe Hoerle-Guggenheim Biography
Perhaps the most talked-about man in the art world, Philippe Hoerle-Guggenheim has taken the industry by storm. Opening his first gallery in Chelsea, NYC, in 2015, Philippe’s swift journey to the pinnacle of the art world is almost unrivaled. Now with gallery locations in Madrid, Williamsburg and Napa Valley, HG Contemporary has taken its rightful place as an internationally-acclaimed gallery.
Given his unmitigated success in recent years, it’s easy to assume that Philippe Hoerle-Guggenheim was always destined to pursue a career in the art world. With a dynastic calling and an undeniable eye for quality and talent, a professional role in the industry might have been an obvious choice.
Yet it wasn’t until Philippe Hoerle-Guggenheim was asked to host events at Art Basel Miami that he considered it his professional calling. Having already established a successful career in finance, Philippe was hosting private exhibitions and advising collectors to satisfy his passion for art. When asked to host exhibitions professionally, however, his vocation was undeniable.
Choosing to walk away from his role as a senior analyst, Philippe Hoerle-Guggenheim threw himself into the art world, launching HG Contemporary in New York City. With a glittering array of artists, critics, collectors, and stars, the opening of his first gallery cemented his position as a leader in the industry.
Drawing from a diverse selection of artists, Philippe Hoerle-Guggenheim is known for bringing together eclectic styles and creating synergy. With an eye for emerging talent, he has been the driving force behind many now-established artists and continues to nurture new talent.
Regularly welcoming up-and-coming artists to exhibit at one of his many gallery locations, opening the experimental HG Contemporary venue in Williamsburg and working with The Bowery Missionary, as well as Elevate New York with the Bronx Studio School for Writers and Artists, Philippe’s committed to burgeoning talent is unparalleled.
For newer artists, the opportunities afforded by the keen-eyed gallerist are invaluable. Exhibitions curated by Philippe Hoerle-Guggenheim, under the HG Contemporary Brand, are in high demand. Consistently drawing audiences made up of art world peers, high-profile collectors, and well-known celebrities, the opportunity to exhibit at a HG Contemporary location can be enough to establish a career and legitimize an artist.
However, Philippe Hoerle-Guggenheim hasn’t abandoned his business-roots altogether. Indeed, one imagines his meteoric rise in the art world is due, at least in part, to his commercial experience. As well as using this to ensure continued success, Philippe Hoerle-Guggenheim has drawn the two professional worlds together in a synergistic triumph.
With successful collaborations with major brands, such as Aston Martin and Louis XIII, Philippe’s passion for art and innovative business is plain. Whilst the exquisite design of the DB6 satiates his desire for creative perfection, their limited production and exemplary approach to manufacturing draws his appreciation too. Perhaps it is this synergy of business and art which has fueled Philippe Hoerle-Guggenheim to develop his own unique approach to the industry?
Certainly, his foray into the finance industry wasn’t wasted. Reflecting on his earlier career, Philippe states, ‘…it was a very good experience that helped me understand numbers and the importance of synergies. Synergies between various people, roles and departments. I believe synergies are very relevant in the art world as well’.
Indeed, understanding the synergies between artist, audience, and collector have ensured almost unrivaled success. With an innate eye for talent, Philippe Hoerle-Guggenheim has brought many new artists to the forefront and has ensured their work reaches its intended audience. Taking a holistic view of the journey from unknown artist to acclaimed talent, Philippe Hoerle-Guggenheim has successfully nurtured some of the biggest names in the industry and continues to do so.
However, Philippe Hoerle-Guggenheim has curated exhibitions of many established artists too. Showing works by Zurab Tsereteli, Nelson Saiers, Kobra, Dan Eldon, Andy Warhol, Pixel Pancho, Salvador Dali, Conor McCreedy, Mehwish Iqbal, Arsen Savadov, John Lennon and Massimo Agostinelli, to name but a few, Philippe hosts exhibitions which span centuries, styles and genres.
Appealing to audiences the world over, HG Contemporary locations continue to excite the art world with their committed to talent. Whether it’s from an emerging artist working out of the experimental site in Williamsburg, a musical legend or a revered art iconic, Philippe Hoerle-Guggenheim shows work which matters.
Hand-selecting artists and pieces for exhibitions, Philippe Hoerle-Guggenheim is always on the lookout for something unique. Keen to bring fresh, new ideas to the mainstream, he had consistently sought out artists who are using innovative mediums and thought-provoking subjects to make a statement. Whether it’s Tim Bengel’s depiction of social media and communication through sand and gold, Laura Kimpton’s large-scale sculptures or Nelson Saiers’ artistic interpretation of the 2008 financial crisis, HG Contemporary exhibitions, under the direction of Philippe Hoerle-Guggenheim, are sure to deliver something different.
Keen to push the boundaries and take risks where others wouldn’t, Philippe Hoerle-Guggenheim has become accustomed to paving the way for the rest of the industry. Determined to help artists gain the recognition they deserve, HG Contemporary is facilitating many careers. From the opposite end of the spectrum, Philippe Hoerle-Guggenheim provides collectors with enviable opportunities to secure unique and custom pieces. With his eye for early talent, collectors have been keen to capitalize on the investment opportunities his exhibitions offer.
For Philippe Hoerle-Guggenheim, bringing collectors and emerging talent together is simply another example of synergy at work. Whilst helping upcoming artists to find their audience is an undeniably gratifying part of his role, it is his impact on the value of their art which he finds most rewarding. Enabling artists to get the recognition they richly deserve and facilitating value increases is the driving force behind his vocation, so it’s no surprise that collectors are clamoring to pick up pieces from his latest exhibitions.
Following the opening of three HG Contemporary locations in 2018, and more venues set to launch soon, it seems Philippe Hoerle-Guggenheim’s rise to success isn’t over yet. Keen to expand the gallery further, for Philippe Hoerle-Guggenheim, HG Contemporary and the art world as a whole, ‘the best is coming’.