Thaddaeus Ropac (born 16 January 1960) is an Austrian gallerist specializing in international contemporary art. He founded the
Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac
Thaddaeus Ropac are a group of galleries founded in 1981 by the Austrian gallerist Thaddaeus Ropac and has since specialized in International Contemporary Art.
The group has galleries in Paris Marais, Paris Pantin, Salzburg and London.
Histor ...
in 1981, and represents today more than 60 artists with his galleries in
Salzburg
Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872.
The town is on the site of the ...
(Austria), Paris
Le Marais
The Marais (Le Marais ; "the marsh") is a historic district in Paris, France. Having once been an aristocratic district, it is home to many buildings of historic and architectural importance. It spreads across parts of the 3rd and 4th arr ...
, Paris
Pantin
Pantin () is a commune in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. In 2019 its population was estimated to be 59,846. Pantin is located on the edge of the city of Paris and is mainly formed by a plain ...
(both France) and
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
(Ely House, 38 Dover Street).
Life
Thaddaeus Ropac was born as ''Thaddäus Josef Ropač'' within a family of the
Carinthian Slovenes
Carinthian Slovenes or Carinthian Slovenians ( sl, Koroški Slovenci; german: Kärntner Slowenen) are the indigenous minority of Slovene ethnicity, living within borders of the Austrian state of Carinthia, neighboring Slovenia. Their status of t ...
in
Klagenfurt
Klagenfurt am WörtherseeLandesgesetzblatt 2008 vom 16. Jänner 2008, Stück 1, Nr. 1: ''Gesetz vom 25. Oktober 2007, mit dem die Kärntner Landesverfassung und das Klagenfurter Stadtrecht 1998 geändert werden.'/ref> (; ; sl, Celovec), usually ...
/Austria, and was raised in
Carinthia
Carinthia (german: Kärnten ; sl, Koroška ) is the southernmost States of Austria, Austrian state, in the Eastern Alps, and is noted for its mountains and lakes. The main language is German language, German. Its regional dialects belong to t ...
, Austria's southernmost state. He initially unearthed his passion for art on a school trip to the
Kunsthistorisches Museum
The Kunsthistorisches Museum ( "Museum of Art History", often referred to as the "Museum of Fine Arts") is an art museum in Vienna, Austria. Housed in its festive palatial building on the Vienna Ring Road, it is crowned with an octagonal do ...
(Vienna Museum of Art) 1978, and by attending workshops with the Austrian sculpture artist
Karl Prantl (1979–1980). After finishing an appretenticeship in retail trade in
Lienz
Lienz (; Southern Bavarian: ''Lianz'') is a Town privileges, medieval town in the Austrian state of Tyrol (state), Tyrol. It is the administrative centre of the Lienz (district), Lienz district, which covers all of East Tyrol. The municipality a ...
/ Austria (1978–1980), he founded his first
gallery
Gallery or The Gallery may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Art gallery
** Contemporary art gallery
Music
* Gallery (band), an American soft rock band of the 1970s
Albums
* ''Gallery'' (Elaiza album), 2014 album
* ''Gallery'' (Gr ...
in 1981 and simultaneously went on to work at a first internship with
Joseph Beuys
Joseph Heinrich Beuys ( , ; 12 May 1921 – 23 January 1986) was a German artist, teacher, performance artist, and art theorist whose work reflected concepts of humanism, sociology, and anthroposophy. He was a founder of a provocative art mov ...
for the already famous artist's exhibitions in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
1981–1982.
He spent also some time during the early eighties as freelancer in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. While in New York, Ropac became acquainted with young American artists such as
Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol (; born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director, and producer who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore the relationsh ...
,
Jean-Michel Basquiat
Jean-Michel Basquiat (; December 22, 1960 – August 12, 1988) was an American artist who rose to success during the 1980s as part of the Neo-expressionism movement.
Basquiat first achieved fame as part of the graffiti duo SAMO, alongside Al ...
,
Keith Haring
Keith Allen Haring (May 4, 1958 – February 16, 1990) was an American artist whose pop art emerged from the New York City graffiti subculture of the 1980s. His animated imagery has "become a widely recognized visual language". Much of his wor ...
and
Robert Mapplethorpe
Robert Michael Mapplethorpe (; November 4, 1946 – March 9, 1989) was an American photographer, best known for his black-and-white photographs. His work featured an array of subjects, including celebrity portraits, male and female nudes, self-p ...
, which he started to exhibit as one of the first gallerists doing so in Central Europe.
Galleries
History
Ropac opened his first
gallery
Gallery or The Gallery may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Art gallery
** Contemporary art gallery
Music
* Gallery (band), an American soft rock band of the 1970s
Albums
* ''Gallery'' (Elaiza album), 2014 album
* ''Gallery'' (Gr ...
in
Lienz
Lienz (; Southern Bavarian: ''Lianz'') is a Town privileges, medieval town in the Austrian state of Tyrol (state), Tyrol. It is the administrative centre of the Lienz (district), Lienz district, which covers all of East Tyrol. The municipality a ...
/ Austria 1981, at the age of 21, followed by a second one in
Salzburg
Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872.
The town is on the site of the ...
/ Austria 1983, at the age of 23, which moved 1989 to the Villa Kast, Salzburg.
He founded a third one in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
Le Marais
The Marais (Le Marais ; "the marsh") is a historic district in Paris, France. Having once been an aristocratic district, it is home to many buildings of historic and architectural importance. It spreads across parts of the 3rd and 4th arr ...
nine years later (1990). Launched with just one exhibition room, Ropac's space today stretches across three floors on Rue Debelleyme in Paris's Marais neighborhood.
In 2012 he opened an additional gallery in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
Pantin
Pantin () is a commune in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. In 2019 its population was estimated to be 59,846. Pantin is located on the edge of the city of Paris and is mainly formed by a plain ...
, the northeast edge of Paris. Here he renovated a 1900 former heating systems factory in
Pantin
Pantin () is a commune in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. In 2019 its population was estimated to be 59,846. Pantin is located on the edge of the city of Paris and is mainly formed by a plain ...
, in the east of Paris, and transformed its eight buildings to make exhibition halls, a performance centre, a library/archive, a viewing room and artists' studios. Ropac wanted to create a magical space to show monumental artworks, which should be accessible from Paris by metro.
Thaddaeus Ropac opened an additional gallery in Ely House in
Mayfair
Mayfair is an affluent area in the West End of London towards the eastern edge of Hyde Park, in the City of Westminster, between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane. It is one of the most expensive districts in the world. ...
,
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, in Spring 2017.
Activities
Today his galleries represent some of the most important Austrian artists, such as
Erwin Wurm
Erwin Wurm (born 1954) is an Austrian artist. He lives and works in Vienna and Limberg in Austria, and in New York City.
Early life
Erwin Wurm was born in Bruck an der Mur, Austria, in 1954. His father was a detective, who did not approve of ar ...
,
Hubert Scheibl
Hubert is a Germanic masculine given name, from ''hug'' "mind" and '' beraht'' "bright". It also occurs as a surname.
Saint Hubertus or Hubert (c. 656 – 30 May 727) is the patron saint of hunters, mathematicians, opticians, and metalworkers ...
,
Gerwald Rockenschaub and
Arnulf Rainer
Arnulf Rainer (born 8 December 1929) is an Austrian painter noted for his abstract informal art.
Rainer was born in Baden, Austria. During his early years, Rainer was influenced by Surrealism. In 1950, he founded the ''Hundsgruppe'' (''dog gro ...
, as well as international artists like
Georg Baselitz
Georg Baselitz (born 23 January 1938) is a German painter, sculptor and graphic artist. In the 1960s he became well known for his figurative, expressive paintings. In 1969 he began painting his subjects upside down in an effort to overcome the ...
,
Alex Katz
Alex Katz (born July 24, 1927) is an American figurative artist known for his paintings, sculptures, and prints.
Early life and career
Alex Katz was born July 24, 1927, to a Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York, as the son of an émigré who ha ...
,
Anselm Kiefer
Anselm Kiefer (born 8 March 1945) is a German painter and sculptor. He studied with Peter Dreher and Horst Antes at the end of the 1960s. His works incorporate materials such as straw, ash, clay, lead, and shellac. The poems of Paul Celan hav ...
and others.
The
gallery
Gallery or The Gallery may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Art gallery
** Contemporary art gallery
Music
* Gallery (band), an American soft rock band of the 1970s
Albums
* ''Gallery'' (Elaiza album), 2014 album
* ''Gallery'' (Gr ...
organizes extensive solo and group exhibitions, often accompanied by comprehensive publications, not only in its own premises, but also in collaboration with major international museums and other non-commercial art institutions. Between 2005 and 2011, in partnership with the
Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation, Ropac asked
Hedi Slimane
Hedi Slimane (; born July 5, 1968) is a French photographer and grand couturier. From 2000 to 2007, he held the position of creative director for Dior Homme (the menswear line of Christian Dior S.A., Christian Dior). From 2012 to 2016, he was the ...
,
Robert Wilson, and
Sofia Coppola
Sofia Carmina Coppola (; born May 14, 1971) is an American filmmaker and actress. The youngest child and only daughter of filmmakers Eleanor Coppola, Eleanor and Francis Ford Coppola, she made her film debut as an infant in her father's acclaimed ...
to act as guest curators and to select a series of the foundation's images for three gallery shows.
The
Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac
Thaddaeus Ropac are a group of galleries founded in 1981 by the Austrian gallerist Thaddaeus Ropac and has since specialized in International Contemporary Art.
The group has galleries in Paris Marais, Paris Pantin, Salzburg and London.
Histor ...
is present at all major contemporary art fairs including, the
Armory Show
The 1913 Armory Show, also known as the International Exhibition of Modern Art, was a show organized by the Association of American Painters and Sculptors in 1913. It was the first large exhibition of modern art in America, as well as one of ...
in New York, the
Art Basel
Art Basel is a for-profit, privately owned and managed, international art fair staged annually in Basel, Switzerland; Miami Beach; Hong Kong and from 2022, Paris. Art Basel works in collaboration with the host city's local institutions to help ...
fairs in Basel, Miami and Hong Kong,
Frieze Art Fair
Frieze Art Fair is an international contemporary art fair in London, New York, and Los Angeles. Frieze London takes place every October in London's Regent's Park. In the US, the fair ran on New York's Randall's Island from 2012–19 and in 2 ...
in London and New York and the
Foire Internationale d'Art Contemporain
The Paris International Contemporary Art Fair (Foire Internationale d’Art Contemporain or FIAC) is a contemporary art event that occurs in Paris.
It was usually held in October in the Grand Palais. In 2022, Art Basel surprisingly evinced FIA ...
in Paris.
Personal activities
Donations
In May 2008, the
Österreichische Galerie Belvedere
The Österreichische Galerie Belvedere is a museum housed in the Belvedere palace, in Vienna, Austria.
The Belvedere palaces were the summer residence of Prince Eugene of Savoy (1663–1736). The ensemble was built in the early eighteenth centu ...
in Vienna received 17 works of art by Julius Deutschbauer, Walter Obholzer, Gerwald Rockenschaub, Hubert Scheibl and
Erwin Wurm
Erwin Wurm (born 1954) is an Austrian artist. He lives and works in Vienna and Limberg in Austria, and in New York City.
Early life
Erwin Wurm was born in Bruck an der Mur, Austria, in 1954. His father was a detective, who did not approve of ar ...
, among others, from Ropac's personal collection. In November 2009, the MdM (Museum der Moderne) in Salzburg organized an exhibition of the 25 works of art donated by Thaddaeus Ropac to the Museum's permanent collection, which includes works by German, Swiss and Austrian artists.
Public offices
Ropac is a member of the Advisory Board of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Vienna, of the Museum of Applied Arts (MAK) (Vienna), of the European University of Science & Art (Salzburg) and the Salzburg International Festival. Since 2009, Thaddaeus Ropac has been nominated President of the Board of Trustees of the Salzburg Foundation, which encourages the display of art in public places.
Recognition
In 2005, Ropac was named by French President
Jacques Chirac
Jacques René Chirac (, , ; 29 November 193226 September 2019) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. Chirac was previously Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988, as well as Ma ...
for significant contribution to the arts. In November 2006, he received the gold cross from the Austrian Republic (). The Chamber of Commerce in Salzburg awarded him the Art and Culture prize in August 2007 ().
In 2009, the annual chart compiled by the British magazine ''Art Review'' called Thaddaeus Ropac "one of Europe's foremost blue-chip gallerists."
In 2013, Ropac was made Knight of the Legion of Honour in France.
[Louvre pour tous (January 2012)]
Culture : les décorés de la Légion d’honneur du nouvel an 2013
'' louvrepourtous.fr''.
Notes
External links
Thaddaeus Ropac, Dealer for Baselitz, Kiefer, Gilbert & George and Cragg (The Wall Street Journal, January 15, 2011)''Le Figaro'' magazine: Thaddaeus Ropac au Quai de Conti (10/2008)"Artforum International" (02/2006)"W" (07/2003)Thaddaeus Ropac: Donations to the BelvedereMuseum der Moderne: Donation Thaddaeus RopacMuseum der Moderne Salzburg Mönchsberg: Donation Thaddaeus RopacGalerie Thaddaeus Ropac
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ropac, Thaddaeus
1960 births
Living people
Austrian art dealers
People from Klagenfurt