Two influential art dealers are joining forces to create a new gallery operation spanning both coasts. Hannah Hoffman, based in Los Angeles, and Bridget Donahue, operating out of New York, have announced the merger of their respective galleries to form Hoffman Donahue. The combined gallery will maintain spaces in both cities and represents a roster of 43 artists, featuring notable names ranging from Puppies Puppies to Lynn Hershman Leeson.
Both dealers have established reputations for discovering and nurturing emerging artists who later achieve widespread recognition. Donahue opened her gallery in New York's Chinatown neighborhood in 2015 and was among the first to provide solo exhibitions for artists such as Martine Syms and Jessi Reaves, both of whom now exhibit regularly at major institutions. Meanwhile, Hoffman launched her gallery in 2013 and has previously represented artists including Elaine Cameron-Weir, Monica Majoli, and Andy Robert, all of whom are making the transition to the newly merged Hoffman Donahue gallery.
The announcement of the merger highlighted that more than 70 percent of the combined gallery's roster consists of women artists. In their joint statement, the two dealers emphasized the strategic timing of their collaboration amid current market challenges. "In this new chapter, nothing is lost and so much is gained. Through years of volatility across the wider gallery landscape, we've each remained steady, avoiding the extremes of market highs and lows—which means so much of our shared potential still lies ahead," they stated.
The dealers appeared to reference the ongoing consolidation and closures affecting the gallery market, including the shutdown of enterprises such as Blum and Poe earlier this year. While many industry observers view these developments as indicators of a market downturn, some market experts have disputed these interpretations. Hoffman and Donahue acknowledged the changing landscape while expressing their commitment to innovation despite the challenges.
"We both came up in the early 2000s, when galleries looked and operated differently—when even a big gallery could still feel personal—and we carry that perspective forward," the dealers explained. Their shared background includes previous employment at Gavin Brown's Enterprise, a respected New York gallery that closed when its founder joined Gladstone Gallery in 2020. The two dealers have also previously collaborated on art fair presentations.
The merger announcement revealed plans for a specialized division within the gallery dedicated to commercial and cross-disciplinary projects. The gallery pointed to existing collaborations between their artists and the fashion industry, citing Talia Chetrit's recent photography work for singer Lorde's new album as an example of the type of cross-industry partnerships they plan to pursue. The gallery indicated that similar collaborations would be developed in the future.
Hoffman Donahue described the merger as a "full programmatic integration" that will unfold throughout 2026. The newly merged gallery will make its official debut with a booth at Art Basel Paris, marking the beginning of their joint operations as a single entity across both New York and Los Angeles markets.
