Tough times make tough people, and nowhere has this adage been truer than in the gallery world this year. Buffeted by headwinds from tariffs to trade uncertainty, many of these businesses have demonstrated resilience, determination, and, above all, a commitment to showcasing artists that they believe in.
Here, we spotlight 10 galleries that achieved new heights in 2025.
CON__
Based in: Tokyo
Known for: Tokyo tastemaker with an interdisciplinary approach
2025 highlights: Standout international fair presentations in London and Seoul
Sitting at the bleeding edge of Tokyo’s contemporary, post-internet youth culture, CON__ graduated from a local legend to a global voice in 2025.
Founded in 2022 and located in the Nihonbashi Bakurocho area of the Japanese capital, the gallery has a program that is heavily influenced by digital culture, anime aesthetics, and the friction between the virtual and physical worlds. It champions experimental artists such as BIEN, known for his line-based, colorful abstractions, and emerging Japanese artist GILLOCHINDOX☆GILLOCHINDAE, who creates manga-influenced installations.
CON__ made major moves in and outside its home city this year. Debuts at NADA New York and Minor Attractions in London were topped only by an inaugural presentation at Frieze Seoul with a booth that might have been the most Instagrammed of the fair. In Tokyo, the gallery also curated “Ahn Taewon: Deep Sea Fish” at fashion brand Diesel’s basement art gallery and took over the PARCO Museum Tokyo for Yukino Yamanaka’s solo show “Eclipse.”
LOHAUS SOMINSKY
Based in: Munich and New York
Known for: Making moves with an art history–driven program in Munich
2025 highlights: Art Basel Miami Beach debut and launching a New York outpost
Opened in late 2022 by art historians Ingrid Lohaus and Sofia Sominsky, LOHAUS SOMINSKY has quickly made a mark in Munich and beyond.
Focused on what its founders have dubbed a “research-based” practice, the gallery’s program brings together established names, such as Czech installation artist Magdalena Jetelová, with outspoken tech-forward voices, like Harm van den Dorpel.
In 2025, the gallery’s program reached global eyes. European art fair appearances at ARCOmadrid, Art Düsseldorf, and Artissima paved the way for a busy December, during which the gallery debuted at Art Basel Miami Beach and opened a new outpost in Tribeca. The founders intend to introduce European artists to the Big Apple with the space, which opened with a solo show of unsettling paintings by Charlie Stein.
Hans Goodrich
Based in: Chicago
Known for: Cross-generational exhibitions in Chicago
2025 highlights: International appearances in Basel and Paris
Only launched in late 2024, this Chicago gallery is already leading the pack in its city’s art scene.
Founded by Peter Anastos and Daisy Sanchez (and named after a fictional character), Hans Goodrich specializes in what it calls “historical correction”: pairing overlooked historical works with works by contemporary voices. Previous shows have featured names like minimal installation artist Dan Graham and conceptual artist Julie Becker, as well as contemporary figures such as Japanese minimalist Tam Ochiai and Paul Levack, who work with digital photography composites.
The gallery’s first full year of programming has yielded six exhibitions and two art fair appearances—at Basel Social Club and Place des Vosges in Paris. It’s also quickly proven a hometown hit: During the latest Chicago Exhibition Weekend, the gallery was “mobbed” during its Saturday opening of an Ochiai solo exhibition, according to Artnet News.
Rajiv Menon Contemporary
Based in: Los Angeles
Known for: Spotlighting South Asia and its diaspora in the City of Angels
2025 highlights: Opening its gallery and mounting a historic show at Jaipur City Palace
Gallery founder Rajiv Menon didn’t just bring South Asian art to Los Angeles in 2025; he took it back to India. The former filmmaker rapidly evolved a niche art project into a bona fide creative enterprise in 2025, kicking off the year with the opening of his sleek Hollywood gallery.
Menon’s program is focused on the South Asian diaspora, but the gallerist platforms universal themes such as migration, queer identity, and digital anxiety. His roster balances rising stars such as Rajni Perera with established voices like Chitra Ganesh.
The gallery’s opening was only the start of a packed year. In August, it curated “Non-Residency” at the historic City Palace in Jaipur, India, featuring 15 diasporic artists and also took part in the inaugural Untitled Art, Houston fair with a presentation that was among the fair’s most talked about.
Galerie Sardine
Based in: Amagansett, New York
Known for: Stylish displays in a relaxed 18th-century Hamptons farmhouse
2025 highlights: Glam parties and a debut at Art Basel Paris
Eminent curator Valentine Akerman and her blue-chip painter husband Joe Bradley started this project in an 18th-century Hamptons farmhouse last May, and it’s already an art world favorite.
Galerie Sardine is laidback in its ambiance but serious about its programming: Visitors might see a Sophie von Hellermann painting installed above a kitchen table or Isabel Rower’s ceramics placed on a mantelpiece next to personal books. Openings feel more like garden parties for the art world’s inner circle. The soirée for its summer group show, “Song of Chloris,” was covered in the New York Times and drew A-list guests, including blue-chip artists Cindy Sherman and Rashid Johnson.
Buzz is traveling quickly. The gallery debuted at Art Basel Paris in October with a booth of works by Justin Bradshaw and von Hellermann, and it sold out its presentation of sculptures by Jenna Kaës and paintings by Anthony Banks at The Armory Show satellite fair, Duet, in September.
Iram Art
Based in: Ahmedabad, Gujarat
Known for: Elevating the Ahmedabad contemporary art scene
2025 highlights: Standout presentations at India Art Fair and Art Mumbai
While the thriving gallery scenes of Delhi and Mumbai continue to add ballast to India’s art market, Iram Art is drawing attention to Ahmedabad, the largest city in Gujarat, India.
Founded in 2022 by Harssh Shah, the gallery opened its permanent space in 2024, and its program is anchored by artists such as Narayan Sinha—known for transforming automotive scrap and found objects into poetic sculptures—alongside rising stars like Dinar Sultana and Promiti Hossain.
This was a year in which Iram Art established itself as a prominent voice in an increasingly crowded national gallery ecosystem. At India Art Fair, its sharply curated booth made a bold statement by highlighting women artists and drew serious institutional attention and in April, it held a solo show of Narayan Sinha at the IFBE cultural center in Mumbai. Its debut at Art Mumbai later that year further planted its flag in India’s commercial capital.
Sceners Gallery
Based in: Paris
Known for: Bridging contemporary and historical design with panache in Paris
2025 highlights: Winning the PAD London stand prize
industrial Parisian space originally designed by Gustave Eiffel’s team, Sceners Gallery opened in late 2024 and mounts ambitious displays of cross-generational designs.
The gallery’s program is heavy on historical artists, with the likes of Jean Prouvé and Yves Klein featuring in recent shows. But Sceners also places a strong emphasis on thematic curation: One recent exhibition focused on designers in the context of the Anthropocene, featuring artists from Rick Owens to Pierre Jeanneret.
Its inventive programming has not gone unnoticed. The gallery took home the stand prize for its presentation at PAD London for a booth anchored by a rare Carlo Bugatti console, and it has been featured in top design publications like Architectural Digest, the Financial Times, Elle, and Wallpaper.
Efiɛ Gallery
Based in: Dubai
Known for: Bringing African art to the Middle East
2025 highlights: Opening a giant new space in Dubai’s prestigious Alserkal Avenue
If Efiɛ Gallery’s previous years were about introducing the Middle East to African art, 2025 was the year that this effort got serious.
Founded by the Mintah family, the gallery has remained steadfast in its mission since it first launched as a nomadic space in 2021. Its roster includes heavyweight names such as Ghanaian sculptor El Anatsui and Malian textile artist Abdoulaye Konaté, as well as diasporic names such as María Magdalena Campos-Pons.
It was Campos-Pons, who works across multiple media, that the gallery selected for the first show in its 4,400-square-foot gallery space in Dubai’s premier Alserkal Avenue district. In this new location, just across the road from its previous space, the gallery is now part of a complex that hosts the region’s blue-chip stalwarts like Carbon 12 and Lawrie Shabibi. The new space continues the gallery’s interest in rare vinyl, featuring a dedicated “listening space” housing a massive collection of records.
Niru Ratnam
Based in: London
Known for: A diverse roster featuring artists of color and women artists
2025 highlights: Bolstering its international footprint with major fair appearances
Now settled into an expanded space in London’s Fitzrovia district, Niru Ratnam saw its program reach new audiences this year.
Founded in 2020, the gallery focuses on artists who deconstruct systems of identity and history, such as Kobby Adi and Sola Olulode.
Several of these artists had major moments of recognition in 2025. Adham Faramawy won the prestigious CIRCA art prize in October, while Eunjo Lee’s video artwork made for a splashy Frieze London appearance in the fair’s Focus section. International appearances at fairs including Independent New York, Paris Internationale, and EXPO Chicago have added greater visibility, which is sure to be taken to another level when it takes part in the inaugural Art Basel Qatar in February.
King’s Leap
Based in: New York City
Known for: A risk-taking program making international waves from the Lower East Side
2025 highlights: Winning the Frieze London Focus Stand Prize
Known for championing an edgy roster of emerging artists, King’s Leap made big strides in 2025 without losing any of its bite.
Founded in 2017 by Alec Petty, the gallery has distinguished itself not just by the artists it shows, but by the very specific atmosphere its shows cultivate in its Lower East Side storefront. Its program includes Audrey Gair’s vibrant mixed media paintings and Michelle Uckotter’s claustrophobic figurations.
Much-talked-about international appearances took the gallery’s platform to a new level. Its presentation of Uckotter won the competitive Frieze London Focus Stand prize, while at Liste in Basel this summer, Nandi Loaf treated the fair as a performance, creating a “passive” installation involving Funko Pop toys and “collectors only” zones that satirized the event while simultaneously participating in it.
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