The Landscape
Hong Kong continues to function as the primary commercial art hub in Asia, a position it has held with some durability despite the economic headwinds affecting mainland China in recent years. The city's structural advantages — tax-free status, free-port heritage, logistical efficiency, and multilingual accessibility — remain the foundation on which its gallery ecosystem rests. At Art Basel Hong Kong 2025, approximately 91,000 visitors attended across VIP and public days, and while there was a cautious atmosphere heading into that edition, the results on the ground reassured many. As gallerist Pearl Lam told Artsy at the close of the fair: the week offered a "reassuring sign that confidence is returning."
Geographically, the gallery scene divides into three principal clusters. The historic Pedder Building in Central remains a prestige address, housing Gagosian, Pearl Lam Galleries, Lehmann Maupin, Simon Lee Gallery, and Hanart TZ Gallery under one roof. The purpose-built H Queen's tower on Queen's Road Central, designed by William Lim and opened in 2017, has drawn a second wave of international galleries including Hauser & Wirth, David Zwirner, Pace Gallery, Massimo De Carlo, and White Cube. Further south, the Wong Chuk Hang industrial district — easily accessible since the opening of the South Island MTR line — has become an increasingly important address, with spacious former factory floors converted into some of the most architecturally flexible gallery spaces in the city.
The Galleries
Gagosian
Gagosian was among the earliest Western galleries to recognise Hong Kong's potential, securing a floor of the Pedder Building in January 2011. Senior Director for Asia Nick Simunovic has described the 2025 Art Basel week as offering works of "the highest calibre" that were "highly sought after by the astute collectors from the region." The gallery's current Hong Kong programme includes Spencer Sweeney's exhibition Paint, which runs through 28 February 2026.
Hauser & Wirth
Hauser & Wirth's Hong Kong space at H Queen's operates as one of the gallery's most commercially active Asian outposts. At Art Basel Hong Kong 2025, the gallery's sales were led by Louise Bourgeois's bronze sculpture Cove (1988, cast 2010), which sold for USD 2 million to a collector in Asia. Zeng Fanzhi's Untitled (2024) achieved USD 1.5 million, Christina Quarles's Push'm Lil' Daisies, Make'm Come Up (2020) sold for USD 1.35 million, Avery Singer's Untitled (2025) was placed with a Hong Kong collection for USD 575,000, and Rashid Johnson's Soul Painting "Comedian" (2024) sold for USD 550,000. The gallery's President Marc Payot noted the presence of "institutional foundations marked by the acquisition of two important works by Lee Bul on opening day." The gallery's exhibition Maria Lassnig: Self with Dragon ran until 28 February 2026.
David Zwirner
David Zwirner opened its Hong Kong space in 2018 and operates from H Queen's. At Art Basel Hong Kong 2025, it recorded the fair's top reported transaction: Yayoi Kusama's INFINITY-NETS [ORUPX] (2013) sold for USD 3.5 million. Further notable sales from that edition included Michaël Borremans's Bob (2025), which went to the Corridor Foundation in Shenzhen for USD 1.6 million; Elizabeth Peyton's Happy Together (WKW) (2022–24) for USD 900,000; and a work by Felix Gonzalez-Torres for USD 900,000. The gallery's exhibition Felix Gonzalez-Torres: Somewhere better than this place / Nowhere better than this place ran at its Hong Kong space and at Central Market through 14 February 2026.
Perrotin
Perrotin opened its Hong Kong space in 2012 and now operates across several global locations. At Art Basel Hong Kong 2025, sales were led by Takashi Murakami's Tan Tan Bo: Wormhole (2025), which sold for USD 1.35 million. Other reported sales at the fair included a work by Ali Banisadr for USD 350,000, a series of works by Lynn Chadwick at prices between £40,000 and £220,000, a work by Izumi Kato for USD 185,000, and a work by Emma Webster for USD 120,000.
Pace Gallery
Pace has long maintained a Hong Kong presence within the H Queen's building. At Art Basel Hong Kong 2025, sales were led by a Lee Ufan painting that sold for USD 1.1 million in the final hours of the fair; the gallery had also sold a second Ufan work, With Winds (1991), for USD 950,000 earlier in the week. Other reported sales included a Loie Hollowell painting for USD 450,000, a Joel Shapiro work for USD 200,000, and a Kenneth Noland work for USD 175,000.
White Cube
White Cube Hong Kong occupies a space at H Queen's and represents an internationally prominent programme including Georg Baselitz, Tracey Emin, Antony Gormley, and Damien Hirst, among others. At Art Basel Hong Kong 2025, the gallery's sales were led by Georg Baselitz's Hannoversche Treue (2010), which sold for €1.75 million (approximately USD 1.83 million). Other reported sales included Damien Hirst's Inperturbatus (2023) for USD 850,000, Tracey Emin's There was so much more of me (2019) for £520,000, and Antony Gormley's OPEN GUT (2023) for £500,000. Looking ahead, Shaqúelle Whyte's exhibition Nine nights; Strange fruit runs from 6 February to 14 March 2026.
MASSIMODECARLO
MASSIMODECARLO maintains a Hong Kong space in Central and represents a programme spanning painting, installation, and performance. Its exhibition France-Lise McGurn: Bad TV is on view through 13 March 2026, offering the British painter's characteristically fluid, gestural figurative work.
https://www.massimodecarlo.com
DE SARTHE
Founded in Paris in 1977, DE SARTHE opened a substantial 10,000-square-foot space in the Wong Chuk Hang district in 2017 and has more recently inaugurated additional programming in Central. The gallery's programme has moved with fluency between European modernists and emerging international voices. Its 2026 exhibition Against the Grid runs through 14 March 2026 at its Southern District space, while a separate exhibition Wu Shan Solo Exhibition ran from 8 January to 14 March 2026.
https://www.desartegallery.com
Haart TZ Gallery (Hanart TZ)
Hanart TZ Gallery holds a foundational place in Hong Kong's art history. Founded by Johnson Chang in 1983, the gallery was instrumental in bringing Chinese contemporary art to international attention, particularly through Chang's organisation of China's New Art, Post-1989 at the Hong Kong Arts Center in 1993. Chang co-founded the Asia Art Archive with Claire Hsu in 2000. While the gallery's primary operations have continued from its Kwai Tsing location in recent years, its director described the 2025 Art Basel as having "great momentum," with "good sales for our artists, placed in prominent collections in the region."
Pearl Lam Galleries
Pearl Lam Galleries maintains its flagship space in the Pedder Building, where it has operated since 2005 — making it one of the longer-established commercial galleries in the city. Pearl Lam herself remains one of the most prominent voices in Hong Kong's art world, occupying a distinctive position between Eastern and Western artistic traditions. The gallery also maintains a space in Shanghai.
https://www.pearllamgalleries.com
Lehmann Maupin
Lehmann Maupin arrived in Hong Kong in 2013 with a space in the Pedder Building designed by Rem Koolhaas and OMA — an arrangement that positioned it alongside Gagosian, Pearl Lam, Simon Lee, and Hanart TZ. The gallery's roster includes artists from a notably wide geographic range, with a focus on artists from Asia, Latin America, and Africa as well as the United States and Europe.
Axel Vervoordt Gallery
The Belgian gallery Axel Vervoordt moved from its Central Entertainment Building location to a two-level space in the Wong Chuk Hang district in 2019, where its larger footprint allows for more ambitious installation-based work. Its exhibition Ann Leda Shapiro: Body is Landscape ran through 7 March 2026.
https://www.axel-vervoordt.com
Whitestone Gallery
Whitestone Gallery is one of the city's more established presences among galleries focused on Asian art, representing artists from Japan, Korea, and greater Asia. Its 2026 exhibition Nuria Mora: Waterfalls and Magpies ran from 31 January to 14 March 2026. The gallery also operates a space in Taipei.
https://www.whitestone-gallery.com
Alisan Fine Arts
Alisan Fine Arts holds the distinction of being one of Hong Kong's oldest continuously operating commercial galleries, having opened in 1981. It has represented significant figures in Chinese avant-garde art including Li Shan and Yu Youhan, and continues to represent artists such as Wang Mengsha and Chu Chu. In 2025–26, the gallery presented the retrospective Chinyee: Vibrant Echoes: Chinyee's 60-Year Retrospective, running from 16 December 2025 through 21 March 2026 in Central. A companion group exhibition, Spirit in Flux, ran concurrently at Alisan Atelier through 14 February 2026.
https://www.alisanfinearts.com
Tang Contemporary Art
Tang Contemporary Art operates across Bangkok, Beijing, Hong Kong, and Seoul, with two spaces in Hong Kong: one in Central and one in Wong Chuk Hang. The gallery represents a broad range of Chinese and Asian contemporary artists. Its 2026 programme included the group exhibition Beyond Context (6 February–17 March 2026) and European Artists Group Exhibition: The Sun Shone From a Different Place (7 February–17 March 2026). At Art Basel Hong Kong 2025, the gallery reported a painting by Yue Minjun selling for USD 1 million.
https://www.tangcontemporary.com
Blindspot Gallery
Founded in 2010, Blindspot Gallery operates from the Wong Chuk Hang district and has built a reputation for representing emerging and established artists primarily from Hong Kong and mainland China, including Isaac Chong Wai, Lam Tung Pang, Chen Wei, and Leung Chi Wo. The gallery functions as one of the more important platforms for local and regional voices within the commercial gallery system.
https://www.blindspotgallery.com
Empty Gallery
Empty Gallery operates as a 4,500 square-foot black-cube space at the edge of Aberdeen Harbour in Tin Wan, on Hong Kong Island's south side. Founded by Stephen Cheng, the gallery has built a distinctive programme around multimedia commissions, performance, and sound-based work, alongside painting and sculpture by both established and emerging artists.
Villepin
Villepin is a relative newcomer to the Hong Kong scene, reflecting continued appetite for gallery space in the city even as some international names have pulled back. Its group exhibition Second Nature ran from 3 February to 8 March 2026.
Thaddaeus Ropac
Although operating primarily from its spaces in Paris, London, and Salzburg, Thaddaeus Ropac has maintained a strong showing at Art Basel Hong Kong. At the 2025 fair, the gallery reported sales totalling approximately USD 6 million, including Roy Lichtenstein's Water Lily Pond with Reflections (1992) for USD 1.5 million, Georg Baselitz's Luise, Lilo, Franz und Johannes (2010) at €1.2 million, Alex Katz's Ada by the Sea (1999) for USD 900,000, and Robert Rauschenberg's Original artwork for First International Festival of Asian Film (1989), which was acquired by a Chinese museum for USD 200,000.
Art Basel Hong Kong 2026
Art Basel Hong Kong 2026 takes place at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from 27–29 March 2026, with Preview Days on 25 and 26 March. The 2026 edition brings together 240 galleries from 41 countries and territories. A new sector, Echoes, debuts this year, focusing on works created within the past five years, with ten curated presentations featuring up to three artists per booth. Participating Hong Kong-based galleries in the Echoes sector include Double Q Gallery, presenting an immersive spatial installation by Polish artist Natalia Załuska.
Over half of participating galleries operate spaces in the Asia-Pacific region, and 29 galleries maintain spaces within Hong Kong itself. Notably, 32 galleries will be participating for the first time, from Australia, Japan, South Korea, greater China, Turkey, France, Georgia, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and the United States.
For the fifth consecutive year, Art Basel and M+ have co-commissioned a monumental public artwork for the M+ Facade in the West Kowloon Cultural District. Pakistani-American artist Shahzia Sikander's work 3 to 12 Nautical Miles will transform the museum's exterior with an animated composition based on her hand-painted watercolours, tracing historic and contemporary trade routes.
https://www.artbasel.com/hong-kong
Other Key Institutions and Context
The West Kowloon Cultural District remains a significant backdrop to the gallery scene, with M+ continuing to draw major institutional shows. In 2025–26, the museum has presented Robert Rauschenberg and Asia (22 November 2025–26 April 2026) and will mount Myths, Monsters, and Manga: The Art of Fantasy in Asia from October 2026 into 2027. The museum also opened Ryuichi Sakamoto | seeing sound, hearing time on 14 February 2026, running through 5 July 2026.
Tai Kwun Contemporary at the former Central Police Station compound continues to present a strong programme, including Zhang Peili's A Day (21 January–20 February 2026) and Alicja Kwade's long-running public commission Waiting Pavilions, on view until December 2026.
Art Central, the satellite fair that runs in tandem with Art Basel week, returns in 2026 with government support, and the Affordable Art Fair is scheduled to return to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from 14–17 May 2026, with works priced between HK$1,000 and HK$100,000 across 90-plus galleries.
The Hong Kong Art Gallery Association provides a comprehensive listing of member galleries and current exhibitions at https://www.hk-aga.org.
This article draws on reporting from Art Basel, Artsy, ARTnews, Artnet News, Ocula, and the Hong Kong Art Gallery Association.