2 European dealers join forces for new Seoul gallery

Two European art dealers — Meyer Riegger and Galerie Jocelyn Wolff — will open their collaborative gallery space, Meyer Riegger Wolff, in Seoul's Hannam-dong in September. Courtesy of Meyer Riegger Wolff

Two European art dealers are joining forces to unveil a collaborative gallery space in Seoul this September, ahead of international art fair Frieze Seoul.

Berlin’s Meyer Riegger and Paris-based Galerie Jocelyn Wolff will open Meyer Riegger Wolff on Sept. 1 in the Hannam-dong neighborhood.

The launch comes as the tides are shifting for international galleries in Korea, with the broader art market continuing to weather a prolonged downturn.

Some have pulled back entirely. Various Small Fires exited the city earlier this year, while Peres Projects, whose operations span Berlin, Milan and Seoul, is reportedly preparing to shut down its Seoul outpost by the end of the year.

Others, however, are doubling down. Portugal’s Duarte Sequeira and Berlin-headquartered Esther Schipper have both expanded into new, larger spaces in Hannam-dong, citing their continued faith in the city’s creative potential.

Amid these diverging moves, Meyer Riegger Wolff reflects a deeper investment in the region. According to its two eponymous European dealers, the new gallery is an extension of their shared vision for the Korean market. The pair has presented joint booths at Frieze Seoul since 2022, laying the groundwork for this new chapter.

Director Gaia Musi will lead the Seoul space. The gallery occupies a building with crisp white facades and layered scarlet accents, designed by Choi Wook of One O One Architects.

The inaugural exhibition, titled “Heute Nacht geträumt (Dreamed Last Night),” is set to center on drawings spanning four centuries — from rare 18th-century astronomical illustrations to works by major contemporary artists such as Meret Oppenheim and Miriam Cahn.

Future exhibitions will spotlight creatives from both dealers’ rosters alongside emerging talents and historical figures. The 2025-26 lineup includes shows by Marcel Duchamp, Eugene Leroy and Clemens von Wedemeyer.