Chisenhale Gallery

What Chisenhale Gallery does

Chisenhale Gallery is a registered charity and non-profit contemporary art gallery located at 64 Chisenhale Road in East London, founded in 1983 (with some sources citing 1986 as the formal commissioning start). The gallery commissions and produces new work by living artists — both UK-based and international — over an 18-month to two-year development period that exceeds typical institutional timelines, supporting ambitious, experimental work that may not fit commercial gallery models. Its core offering is a year-round programme of solo exhibitions, offsite projects, editions, and publications, alongside public programming including talks, performances, workshops, and a schools programme. The gallery serves four primary constituencies: visiting audiences (free entry), commissioned artists, members and patrons, and educational groups.

The business model is fundamentally philanthropic rather than commercial. Approximately 16% of annual income derives from public funding via Arts Council England, with the remaining 84% raised through grants from trusts and foundations (Henry Moore Foundation, Freelands Foundation, Ampersand Foundation, Elephant Trust, Fluxus Art Projects), corporate sponsors (subject to ethical screening), and individual donations via a Friends and Patrons programme. Supplementary revenue is generated through the online sale of limited-edition prints (Chisenhale Editions, £165-£3,500) and publications, and through ticketed events on Eventbrite. Major commissions are funded at approximately £10,000 per artist, often via international co-commissioning partnerships with institutions including Fluentum Berlin, Fondation Pernod Ricard Paris, Temple Bar Gallery + Studios Dublin, Bétonsalon Paris, Museum Abteiberg, Spike Island Bristol, and mumok Vienna. The gallery is governed by a Board of Trustees chaired by May Calil, with Edward Gillman serving as Director since 2025.

Name

Chisenhale Gallery

Legal name

Chisenhale Gallery

Website

https://chisenhale.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Chisenhale Gallery is a London-based registered charity and non-profit contemporary art gallery that commissions new work by UK and international artists over 18-month to two-year periods, supported by Arts Council England, foundations, and individual donors. It serves visiting audiences, commissioned artists, members, and schools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Contemporary Art Gallery

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121), Art Dealers (459920)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit) (THAJADAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Visual Arts (Drawing, Painting, Illustration) (EDAAAGAA)

Keywords

• Contemporary art gallery
• Artist commissions
• Exhibition programming
• Limited editions
• Arts education

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Public Funding: Chisenhale Gallery receives approximately 16% of its annual income as public funding from Arts Council England. This represents the core public funding stream.
2. Grants from Trusts and Foundations: A significant portion of the remaining 84% of income is raised through grants from trusts and foundations, which fund commissions, exhibitions, and public programming.
3. Corporate Sponsors: Corporate sponsors contribute to the gallery's income and are subject to ethical screening processes.
4. Individual Donations and Membership: The gallery operates a Friends and Patrons programme. Donors contributing over £5,000 are subject to screening, and unsolicited donations may be received online up to £2,500. Friends receive a 10% discount on editions.
5. Art Editions and Publications Sales: The gallery sells limited-edition prints and publications by commissioned artists. Editions range from £165 to £3,500. These are sold through the gallery's online shop.
6. Event Tickets: The gallery sells tickets for events, talks, performances, and tours. Suggested donations of £3 are mentioned for exhibition openings. Booking through Eventbrite is used for paid events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Chisenhale Gallery commissions and produces contemporary art exhibitions, supporting international and UK-based artists to develop ambitious new work over 18-month to two-year periods. It operates a physical gallery in East London with free admission, sells limited-edition prints (Chisenhale Editions) and publications via an online shop, delivers a schools programme, runs talks/performances/workshops, and supports a curatorial research fellowship.

Product overview

Chisenhale Gallery is a contemporary art gallery that operates primarily as a commissioning and exhibition body rather than a technology product company. Its core offering consists of artist commissions and solo exhibitions programme (featuring exhibitions by artists such as A Bug's Life, Liquid Trust, sphere music, Wakaliga Uganda, Empty Alcove/Rotting Figure, and Five Defence Towers), supported by a commercial shop selling limited edition prints (Chisenhale Editions) and publications. Additional services include educational outreach (Schools Programme), a curatorial research fellowship (Asymmetry), and a quarterly mailing list newsletter. The gallery does not offer software products, APIs, or technology platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Exhibitions and Commissions Programme Core commissioning programme supporting international and UK-based artists to develop and present ambitious new contemporary art exhibitions, including solo shows, moving-image installations, and offsite projects, over an 18-month to two-year collaborative timeline.
• Chisenhale Editions Limited-edition prints and artwork reproductions produced exclusively by featured artists to support the gallery's programme, sold through the online shop to collectors and supporters worldwide with Friends members receiving 10% discount.
• Publications Artist catalogues, monographs and co-published books documenting exhibitions and commissions, often produced in partnership with other institutions and sold via the online shop.
• Schools Programme Educational outreach programme for schools aligned with major exhibitions, providing workshops, educational tours and curriculum-linked engagement with contemporary art, supported by foundation funding including Freelands Foundation and Goodman Gallery.
• Mailing List and Newsletter Quarterly email newsletter delivering exhibition announcements, event invitations and updates on new editions and special offers in the gallery shop.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 40 years of commissioning contemporary art with a track record of supporting artists who achieve international recognition
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Fluentum, BerlinmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Fluentum, Berlin co-commissioned Arash Nassiri's A Bug's Life with Chisenhale Gallery and Fondation Pernod Ricard. This is a major co-production partnership bringing international visibility to the commission.
• Fondation Pernod Ricard, ParismajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Fondation Pernod Ricard co-commissioned Arash Nassiri's A Bug's Life alongside Chisenhale Gallery and Fluentum. This international co-commission expands the work's reach to Paris-based audiences and institutions.
• Temple Bar Gallery + Studios, DublinmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Temple Bar Gallery + Studios partnered with Chisenhale Gallery and Bétonsalon to commission and produce Racheal Crowther's Liquid Trust. This partnership is a key international co-production relationship.
• Bétonsalon, ParismajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Bétonsalon partnered with Chisenhale Gallery and Temple Bar Gallery + Studios to commission Racheal Crowther's Liquid Trust. This is a significant international three-way partnership.
• Museum Abteiberg, MönchengladbachmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Museum Abteiberg co-commissioned Grant Mooney's sphere music with Chisenhale Gallery, creating an international co-production partnership.
• Spike Island, BristolmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Spike Island co-commissioned Dan Guthrie's Empty Alcove / Rotting Figure with Chisenhale Gallery. The commission was exhibited at Spike Island (February–May 2025) and Chisenhale Gallery (June–August 2025).
• mumok, ViennamajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025mumok, Vienna co-commissioned Claudia Pagès Rabal's Five Defence Towers with Chisenhale Gallery. This is a significant international co-production with a major European contemporary art institution.
• Asymmetry (Curatorial Research Fellowship)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Asymmetry Curatorial Research Fellow programme is hosted at Chisenhale Gallery, providing curatorial research capacity. The 2025-26 Fellow is Zhejun Gao. This programme strengthens the gallery's curatorial output and international reach.
• CAM-Centro de Arte Moderna Gulbenkian, LisbonmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLicensed Bruno Zhu's Licence to Live exhibition, allowing it to be restaged by subsequent institutions or individuals, extending the work's reach beyond London.
• HM Prison PortlandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChisenhale Gallery's commission by Rory Pilgrim was developed in partnership with HM Prison Portland, working with young people from the Isle of Portland in a community collaboration.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Camden Arts Centre: London non-profit gallery commissioning contemporary artists, with a strong educational programme and free admission. Comparable on commissioning model, public funding mix and artist development focus.
• Whitechapel Gallery: East London non-profit contemporary art gallery with a long history of commissioning international artists. Comparable on location, audience, charity model and exhibition-led programming.
• Studio Voltaire: London non-profit gallery and artist studios commissioning contemporary art with a focus on emerging practices. Comparable as a similarly-sized, free-entry London gallery with a charitable structure and commissioning programme.
• The Showroom: London-based non-profit contemporary art space commissioning international artists through collaborative projects. Directly comparable on commissioning-led model, free admission and international artist focus.
• ICA (Institute of Contemporary Arts): London-based non-profit institution commissioning and presenting contemporary art, film and performance. Directly comparable as a free-to-access, exhibition-led contemporary art venue with a similar commissioning and public programme model.
• Gasworks: London-based non-profit commissioning international artists-in-residence and producing exhibitions. Directly comparable on commissioning international artists with extended development timelines and free admission.
• South London Gallery: Non-profit contemporary art gallery in London with an established education and commissions programme. Closely comparable as a similarly-sized London gallery with public funding, editions sales and schools programming.
• Serpentine Galleries: London non-profit gallery commissioning contemporary artists through ambitious projects including the Serpentine Pavilion. Closely comparable on commissioning-led model, free admission, and international co-production partnerships.

Broad incumbents

• Tate Modern: Major London public museum presenting modern and contemporary art with free general admission. Comparable in that it presents contemporary art to large public audiences, but materially larger and operates a permanent collection model rather than commissioning-only.

Others

• Frieze (Frieze London / Frieze Week): International art fair and media business, included here because Chisenhale is explicitly listed in the Frieze Guide during Frieze Week as part of its audience strategy. Comparable as a London contemporary art touchpoint, though commercial rather than non-profit.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ChisenhaleGallery
• Instagraminstagram.com/chisenhalegallery
• Xx.com/ChisenhaleGal
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chisenhale-gallery

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Chisenhale Gallery