White Cube
White Cube is a privately held London-based contemporary art gallery founded in 1993, operating six permanent spaces across London, New York, Hong Kong, Paris, and Seoul, and representing a blue-chip roster of artists including Baselitz, Mehretu, Emin, and Gates for primary- and secondary-market sales.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1993
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What White Cube does
White Cube is a privately held contemporary art gallery founded in 1993 by Jay Jopling, headquartered in London, and recognised as one of the world's leading blue-chip contemporary art dealers. The company operates six permanent gallery spaces across London (Bermondsey and Mason's Yard), New York, Hong Kong, Paris, and Seoul, and maintains an active presence on Artsy and Artnet. Its product portfolio consists of primary-market sales on behalf of represented artists (a roster that includes Georg Baselitz, Theaster Gates, Tracey Emin, and Julie Mehretu), a secondary-market 'Salon' programme offering works by blue-chip estates, consignment services, exclusive prints and multiples, and gallery publications. The company operates a private, account-gated pricing model in which artwork prices are disclosed only to registered collectors, and participates in the premier international art fairs (Art Basel, Frieze, TEFAF).
The gallery monetises across three core revenue streams: primary-market commissions on artist sales, secondary-market commissions on consignor transactions, and direct sales of prints, multiples, and publications. Its distribution model is relationship-driven and event-driven rather than transactional-ecommerce: collectors and institutions engage through private appointments, gallery openings, and concentrated art-fair windows, where the company reports multiple seven-figure transactions annually. Named institutional counterparties include the Guggenheim Museum, Whitney Museum of American Art, Tate, LACMA, Walker Art Center, Stony Island Arts Bank, and Goldman Sachs, alongside a base of high-net-worth private collectors across Europe, North America, and Asia.
Business-model mechanics are those of a traditional gallery intermediary: White Cube takes a percentage commission on consigned primary works, earns a fee on secondary-market sales, and realises margin on prints and publications produced in collaboration with artists. The company does not disclose financials, has no parent company or external investors identified, and appears to be founder-controlled. In 2024, White Cube reported revenue growth in a UK market where many competitor galleries experienced losses or reduced profits, indicating relative outperformance. Forward indicators include continued multi-city exhibition programming, expansion of the monthly Salon secondary-market channel, offsite collaborations with the National Trust, and partnerships with institutions such as the Takis Foundation and the Nam June Paik Art Center.
White Cube firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- White Cube
- Legal name
- White Cube Limited
- Website
- https://whitecube.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1993
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- White Cube is a privately held London-based contemporary art gallery founded in 1993, operating six permanent spaces across London, New York, Hong Kong, Paris, and Seoul, and representing a blue-chip roster of artists including Baselitz, Mehretu, Emin, and Gates for primary- and secondary-market sales.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
White Cube industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Contemporary Art Gallery
- NAICS
- Art Dealers (459920)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit) (THAJADAH)
Keywords
Where White Cube is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices6 records
Markets served
White Cube business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Primary Market Art Sales: White Cube sells artworks on behalf of represented artists (primary market), acting as exclusive or non-exclusive representative for contemporary artists worldwide.
- Secondary Market Art Sales: Gallery also sells art on the secondary market on behalf of consignors, taking a commission on transactions.
- Books, Prints and Multiples: Gallery operates bookshops selling publications, prints and multiples produced in collaboration with artists.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Prints and Multiples |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
White Cube product offering
Product offeringCore offering
White Cube is an international contemporary art gallery that represents and sells works on behalf of contemporary artists (primary market) and on consignment (secondary market) through gallery spaces in London, New York, Hong Kong, Paris, and Seoul. The gallery also produces and sells artist prints, multiples, books, and publications, and participates in major international art fairs such as Art Basel, Frieze, and TEFAF.
Product overview
White Cube operates as an international contemporary art gallery with physical gallery spaces in London (Bermondsey and Mason's Yard), New York, Hong Kong, Paris, and Seoul. The company's core offering centers on representing contemporary artists and facilitating art transactions. The product portfolio consists of Available Artworks (primary market sales), Prints & Multiples (artist editions), Salon (secondary market presentations), Consignments (resale services), and Books & Publications (exhibition catalogues and monographs). The gallery also participates in international art fairs to expand collector access. White Cube functions as a traditional gallery model rather than a technology platform.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Available Artworks Primary market contemporary artworks from White Cube's represented artist roster, offered for acquisition to registered collectors and institutional buyers.
- Prints & Multiples Exclusive limited-edition prints and multiples produced in collaboration with White Cube artists, sold through the online shop and physical galleries.
- Salon Monthly online presentation of secondary market works by notable artists, offered to registered collectors via the gallery's private sales platform.
- Consignments Service allowing collectors and estates to consign artworks to White Cube for sale on the secondary market, with the gallery taking a commission on transactions.
- Books & Publications Exhibition catalogues, monographs, and limited-edition books produced in collaboration with represented artists, sold through the gallery bookshops and online.
- Art Fairs Gallery presence at premier international art fairs including Art Basel, Frieze, and TEFAF, offering collectors direct access to available works at concentrated events.
Quantifiable outcome
- Multiple seven-figure transactions reported at Art Basel 2026
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use White Cube
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
White Cube technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
White Cube partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- National TrustminorWhite Cube at Claydon presents over 40 works of contemporary art across Claydon's interiors and grounds, hosted by the National Trust. This offsite exhibition brings gallery artists to historic estate settings.
- Takis FoundationcoreWhite Cube Seoul collaborated with the Takis Foundation in Greece for the 'Duett: Takis and Nam June Paik' exhibition, reuniting two radical innovators of 20th-century art through their 1979 collaborative performance.
- Nam June Paik Art CentercoreWhite Cube Seoul partnered with the Nam June Paik Art Center in Korea for the 'Duett: Takis and Nam June Paik' exhibition, exploring the conceptual and sonic intersections between kinetic art pioneer Takis and video art founder Nam June Paik.
- Los Angeles County Museum of ArtcoreCo-organised Julie Mehretu's mid-career retrospective with LACMA, which travelled to the Whitney Museum of American Art and Walker Art Center.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights6 records
White Cube competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- David Zwirner: New York-based mega-gallery with galleries in New York, London, Paris, Hong Kong, and Los Angeles. Direct competitor representing top contemporary artists, with similar art fair footprint and a digital-first secondary market program.
- Hauser & Wirth: Swiss-founded mega-gallery with global locations in London, New York, Hong Kong, Seoul, and other cities. Directly comparable as a leading primary market contemporary art gallery with similar artist roster depth, art fair participation, and seven-figure transaction profile.
- Gagosian: The world's largest contemporary art gallery by scale, with locations across New York, London, Paris, Hong Kong, Rome, and elsewhere. Co-reported multiple seven-figure transactions with White Cube at Art Basel 2026; directly comparable business model and blue-chip artist roster.
- Perrotin: Paris-based contemporary gallery with global locations including Paris, New York, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Seoul, Shanghai, and Dubai. Comparable as a contemporary primary market gallery with strong presence in both European and Asian markets.
- Marian Goodman Gallery: New York-founded contemporary gallery with locations in New York, Paris, and London. Directly comparable in representing historically significant contemporary artists and operating a curated secondary market program.
- Thaddaeus Ropac: Austrian-British gallery with locations in London, Paris, Salzburg, and Seoul. Comparable as a European-headquartered contemporary gallery with multi-city presence and active participation in major art fairs.
- Lisson Gallery: London-based contemporary gallery founded in 1967 with locations in London, New York, Shanghai, and Los Angeles. Directly comparable as a long-established British contemporary gallery representing internationally recognized artists.
- LGDR (Lévy Gorvy Dayan Rosenberg): International gallery formed through merger, with locations in New York, London, Paris, and Hong Kong. Directly comparable as a high-end gallery active in both primary and secondary markets for blue-chip contemporary artists.
- Gladstone Gallery: New York-based contemporary gallery with additional locations in Brussels and Seoul. Comparable as a primary market contemporary gallery representing prominent established and mid-career artists.
- Pace Gallery: Global mega-gallery with spaces in New York, London, Hong Kong, Seoul, Tokyo, Geneva, and Los Angeles. Direct peer in primary market representation of blue-chip contemporary artists and participation in premier art fairs.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
White Cube social profiles
Digital presenceWhite Cube financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
White Cube leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
White Cube funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
White Cube M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about White Cube
What does White Cube do?
White Cube is an international contemporary art gallery that represents and sells works on behalf of contemporary artists (primary market) and on consignment (secondary market) through gallery spaces in London, New York, Hong Kong, Paris, and Seoul. The gallery also produces and sells artist prints, multiples, books, and publications, and participates in major international art fairs such as Art Basel, Frieze, and TEFAF.
Is White Cube a public or private company?
White Cube is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was White Cube founded?
White Cube was founded in 1993. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is White Cube based?
White Cube is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does White Cube make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Primary Market Art Sales are the primary driver. The others are secondary Market Art Sales and books, Prints and Multiples.
Who are White Cube's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are David Zwirner, Hauser & Wirth, Gagosian, Perrotin, Marian Goodman Gallery, Thaddaeus Ropac, Lisson Gallery, LGDR (Lévy Gorvy Dayan Rosenberg), Gladstone Gallery and Pace Gallery.
Does White Cube have an API?
No public API is recorded for White Cube.
What industry is White Cube in?
White Cube's product category is Contemporary Art Gallery. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAJADAH, Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit). Its NAICS code is 459920.