Lisson Gallery was founded in 1967 by Nicholas Logsdail. It was one of a small number of pioneering galleries in the UK, Europe and the United States to champion a generation of artists who were transforming the way art was made and presented, focusing on the idea or concept behind an artwork over expressive or descriptive aims. These young artists – including Sol LeWitt, Robet Mangold, Dan Graham, Donald Judd, Dan Flavin, Carl Andre, Lawrence Weiner, Art & Language, John Latham, Peter Joseph, Lee Ufan, Giulio Paolini, Daniel Buren - represented not a style but an attitude, an ethos concerning art's place in a wider intellectual, cultural and social context.
Over the past forty years Lisson Gallery has built on this foundation, identifying and supporting succeeding generations of artists, each with a radical and distinctive approach to the artistic possibilities of their times. The New British Sculptors who came to maturity in the early 1980s – Tony Cragg, Richard Deacon, Shirazeh Houshiary, Anish Kapoor, Julian Opie, Richard Wentworth and Bill Woodrow – engaged imaginatively with the sculptural object within a conceptual framework. In the 1990s, a more diverse group demonstrated a poetic conceptualism of image and language – Rodney Graham, Douglas Gordon, Ceal Floyer, Jonathan Monk, Christine Borland, Tatsuo Miyajima and Francis Alÿs – while other artists including Tony Oursler and Jane & Louise Wilson used the media of video and sound to create heightened visions of the social constructs of their age. A new generation has emerged in the first decade of 20th century – Gerard Byrne, Santiago Sierra, Allora & Calzadilla, Fernando new generation has emerged in the first decade of 20th century – Gerard Byrne, Santiago Sierra, Allora & Calzadilla, Fernando Ortega, Sean Snyder, Tim Lee, Christian Jankowski – who explore the structures of representation and cultural value from global perspectives.
Building on its strong history, Lisson Gallery works to support the future of its artists: the legacy of historic figures, the continually evolving practice of established artists, and the wide-ranging potential of emerging and new talents.
From its beginnings, Lisson Gallery has been located in Bell Street near Lisson Grove, close to London's West End but also part of a dynamic and diverse local neighbourhood. It operates as a commercial gallery, its key objectives being to further its artists' careers by supporting the production, presentation and sale of their work.
Opening hours:
Mon - Fri 9:30 am - 1 pm & 3 pm - 6 pm
Sat by appointment