Almine Rech Ruiz-Picasso ( Rech) is a French art dealer and owner of the eponymous contemporary art gallery. Founded in Paris in 1989 with an exhibition of James Turrell’s 'Space Division' work, Almine Rech has grown into an internationally recognized gallery known for its commitment to minimal, perceptual, and conceptual practices. Over the following decades, the gallery expanded strategically to Brussels, London, New York, and Shanghai, while maintaining its strong Parisian foundation.
Early life and education Almine Rech was born in Paris to a Vietnamese-French mother and a French father, Georges Rech, who founded one of France's first ready-to-wear labels in the 1960s. She took up painting and drawing in high school and while at boarding school in SwitzerlandChristopher Bagley (March 1, 2013), The Mixologist W. before studying art, cinema and literature at Faculté des lettres de Paris and the École du Louvre.
Career Early beginnings Early in her career, Rech did provenance research for Parisian auction houses. By the mid-1980s she was married to her first husband, businessman Xavier de Froment, for six yearsChristopher Bagley (March 1, 2013), The Mixologist W. and had started selling art, helping friends and clients part with modernist artworks from the likes of Pierre Bonnard, Kurt Schwitters, and Félix Vallotton.James Tarmy (October 27, 2016), Gallery Owner Almine Ruiz-Picasso, and Her Blockbuster Art Shows, Are Taking New York Bloomberg News.
Rech began her career as a gallerist in partnership for 5 years with Cyrille Putman, the son of Andrée Putman, opening a gallery in the Marais in 1989 where they presented a single work by James Turrell, who did not have a European dealer at the time; Robert R. Littman, the director of Centro Cultural Arte Contemporaneo, a private museum in Mexico City, bought the work.
Almine Rech, 1997–present Alongside other galleries including Air de Paris and Galerie Perrotin, Rech opened her own gallery on Rue Louise Weiss in the 13th arrondissement in 1997, as part of a city-sponsored initiative.Anna Sansom (July 29, 2019), ‘Grand Paris’: new art complex to open in Parisian suburb The Art Newspaper. At the time, she worked with artists Ugo Rondinone, Joseph Kosuth, and other artists with minimalist and conceptual leanings, including James Turrell and John McCracken.
In 2006, the gallery moved to a larger, two-story space in the Marais district, before launching its current space in rue de Turenne in 2013. In 2008, Rech opened a second gallery in Brussels. From 2014 to 2025, the gallery operated a space in London.Georgina Adam (June 10, 2016), The Art Market: A dealer with staying power Financial Times.Melanie Gerlis (3 October 2025), Almine Rech shuts London gallery and puts UK business into liquidation The Art Newspaper.
In 2016, the gallery added a space Nate Freeman (October 26, 2016), Almine Rech Discusses Expansion of Her Gallery Empire, as Upper East Side Space Opens ARTnews. – in New York. In 2019, the gallery expanded to Shanghai, where it operates a space in the Amber Building — a three-story former People's Bank of China warehouse at 27 Hu Qiu Road –, sharing the floor with Lisson Gallery.Annie Armstrong (June 19, 2019), Almine Rech Heads to Shanghai ARTnews.Melanie Gerlis (February 8, 2019), The art market’s move to the east Financial Times. On the gallery's expansion, Rech has noted, 'Each step in expanding our platform has increased our ability to support and invest in a new generation of artists, which is a consideration at the very core of our gallery's DNA.'
In 2021, amid the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, the gallery opened a space next door to the Aspen Art Museum in Aspen.Sarah Douglas (March 24, 2021), Almine Rech Joins Growing Mass of Galleries with Aspen Pop-Ups: ‘We’re Going Where the Collectors Are’ ARTnews.
A second space opened in Paris on Avenue Matignon (with a further expansion of the space in 2022), and a second New York gallery in Tribeca opened in October 2023. In 2024, the gallery expanded in Monaco with the opening of a new space in the Carré d'Or district. In addition to exhibitions hosted in the various gallery locations, Almine Rech participates in numerous art fairs including Art Basel, TEFAF, Art Basel Paris, and Frieze.
Through Almine Rech Editions, the gallery also produces prints, catalogues, and monographs, contributing to the preservation and dissemination of critical artistic discourse.
Almine Rech represents numerous living artists, including: James Turrell (since 1995) Allen Jones (since 2019)Claire Selvin (6 June 2019), Almine Rech Now Represents Allen Jones in France, Belgium, and China ARTnews. Jeff Koons (since 2009)Georgina Adam (June 10, 2016), The Art Market: A dealer with staying power Financial Times.
In addition, the gallery has managed various artist estates, including: Karel AppelKarel Appel Artnet. Leonora Carrington (since 2026)Tessa Solomon (13 June 2026), Rech Announces Collaboration with the Consejo Leonora Carrington and rossogranada ARTnews. Günther Förg (until 2018)Alex Greenberger (1 June 2018), Hauser & Wirth Now Represents the Estate of Günther Förg ARTnews. Serge Poliakoff Antoni Tàpies (since 2019)Annie Armstrong (1 March 2019), Almine Rech Gallery Now Represents the Estate of Antoni Tàpies ARTnews. Tom Wesselmann
Other activities Drawing Center, Member of the Board of Directors (since 2019)The Drawing Center Welcomes New Board Members Artforum, April 3, 2019.
Recognition Rech is an Officier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres.
Rech is co-president of the Fundación Almine Y Bernard Ruiz-Picasso Para El Arte (FABA) and member of The International Council of The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met).
Personal life Since 1997, Rech has been married to Bernard Ruiz-Picasso.Alexa Brazilian (February 11, 2015), Gallerist Almine Rech’s Eclectic and Elegant Paris Apartment The Wall Street Journal. They lived in Brussels since 2006Christopher Bagley (March 1, 2013), The Mixologist W. but have since moved to Monaco, and also maintain a French country estate inherited from Picasso called Boisgeloup.Alexa Brazilian (February 11, 2015), Gallerist Almine Rech’s Eclectic and Elegant Paris Apartment The Wall Street Journal.
Since 2002,Christopher Bagley (March 1, 2013), The Mixologist W. Rech and Ruiz-Picasso have been serving as co-chairs of the Madrid-based Fundación Almine Y Bernard Ruiz-Picasso Para El Arte (FABA), which holds a collection of works by Pablo Picasso. FABA also supports institutions, including Le Consortium in Dijon, France, Serpentine Galleries in London and the New Museum in New York.Alexa Brazilian (February 11, 2015), Gallerist Almine Rech’s Eclectic and Elegant Paris Apartment The Wall Street Journal. In 2012, Ruiz-Picasso and Rech opened up Boisgeloup, inviting artists to exhibit on its grounds.Annie Shaw (10 September 2019) Sean Scully to take over Picasso’s Château de Boisgeloup The Art Newspaper.
Major artists represented by the gallery
References