Grimm Gallery Plans Amsterdam Move and Provence Residency as It Marks 20 Years
Grimm Gallery is entering its third decade with a larger Amsterdam headquarters, a newly announced residency in Provence, and a strategy that has become increasingly rare in a strained market: expand slowly, and only where the program makes sense.
The gallery, which opened in Amsterdam 20 years ago, will move this fall into a larger ground-floor canal house in the city center. Founder Jorg Grimm called the property a “rare” find after a decade in the same space. The new location will open in September with an exhibition by Dutch painter Robert Zandvliet (b. 1970), signaling a continuation of the gallery’s close relationship with artists based in the Netherlands.
The Amsterdam move follows a recent expansion in London, where Grimm relocated to a Victorian storefront in St. James after a three-year experiment with a smaller Mayfair venue tucked behind Phillips auction house. In New York, the gallery first opened on the Bowery in 2017 before moving to Tribeca in 2020. Across those outposts, Grimm now represents 37 artists, including Michael Raedecker, Saskia Noor van Imhoff, and Claudia Martinez Garay.
That measured growth has become part of the gallery’s identity. Grimm said he has preferred to open spaces near where artists live rather than chase collectors across major art capitals. He also argued that staying close to the gallery’s program, while allowing the roster to expand organically, is essential to remaining relevant and sustainable. The timing is notable: recent weeks have brought closures at galleries including Tiwani Contemporary and Templon, while Pace has cut artists and staff.
Amsterdam, Grimm said, is often underestimated as a market. He pointed to institutions such as De Ateliers and Rijksakademie, along with a strong museum and private collector base, as evidence that the city can support a serious gallery ecosystem.
The new residency extends that philosophy beyond exhibition spaces. Housed at Château Val Croissant, an 18th-century property in Provence that the gallery plans to use for the program, the initiative was inspired by Beatrice Monti della Corte’s Santa Maddalena Foundation residency. It will offer artists, writers, and curators a place to return to over time, and families will be welcome — a practical distinction that broadens access for residents with children.
At first, the residency will accept only referrals from artists and curators already connected to the gallery. But Grimm said it may also serve as an introduction to the gallery’s wider approach for new artists. In a market that has rewarded caution over expansion, Grimm’s model suggests that patience can still be a form of ambition.
