Mai 36 Galerie

What Mai 36 Galerie does

Mai 36 Galerie is an international contemporary art gallery headquartered at Raemistrasse 37 in Zurich, Switzerland, founded in 1988 and operating as Mai 36 Galerie AG. The gallery represents over 50 contemporary artists spanning multiple generations and media, including historically significant figures such as John Baldessari, Robert Mapplethorpe, Lawrence Weiner, and Thomas Ruff, alongside emerging artists. Its core services are primary-market artist representation, curated exhibitions at the Zurich headquarters, programming at the secondary 36.1 project space for emerging voices, and active participation in major international art fairs (Art Basel, Art Basel Paris, Art Basel Miami Beach, Frieze Seoul, ARCO Madrid, miart Milan). Pricing is quotation-based and not publicly disclosed, with sales conducted through direct gallery relationships, museum placements, and institutional acquisitions.

The business model is a single revenue stream from art sales, structured as one-time transactions on consigned or represented works. The go-to-market is enterprise field sales combined with event-driven fair participation: the gallery cultivates HNW collectors, museums, foundations, and art advisors through personal relationships, with digital channels (website, Artsy, Instagram, WeChat, newsletter) acting as discovery and inquiry layers rather than transactional platforms. The gallery carries no proprietary technology platform, no AI capabilities, and no subscription or recurring revenue components; it is a classic intermediation business where the inventory is the represented artists' work and the value captured is the spread between artist and buyer plus advisory fees embedded in price. The company is privately held, with no disclosed external funding, no parent company, and a small core team of 7 employees, making it a lifestyle-scale boutique operation rather than a venture-scaled business.

Name

Mai 36 Galerie

Legal name

Mai 36 Galerie AG

Website

https://mai36.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Mai 36 Galerie is a Zurich-based contemporary art gallery founded in 1988 that represents over 50 international artists, sells works through its Zurich space, the 36.1 project space, and major international art fairs including Art Basel, Frieze Seoul, and ARCO Madrid, serving HNW collectors, museums, and art advisors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Contemporary Art Gallery

NAICS

Art Dealers (459920)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Contemporary art gallery
• Artist representation
• Art exhibitions
• Art fair participation
• Fine art sales

Headquarters

HQ city

Zurich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Art Sales: Primary revenue stream from representing and selling contemporary artworks by represented artists. Sales conducted through gallery exhibitions, art fairs, and direct collector relationships. The gallery represents over 50 international artists spanning established and emerging positions.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Mai 36 Galerie is an international contemporary art gallery representing over 50 artists and selling their works through curated exhibitions at its Zurich gallery, a secondary 36.1 projects space for emerging artists, and booth presentations at major international art fairs. It also operates an online shop for art publications, catalogs, and limited editions. The gallery's core activity is the primary-market sale of contemporary artworks (painting, sculpture, photography, mixed media) to collectors, museums, institutions, and art advisors.

Product overview

Mai 36 Galerie is an international contemporary art gallery based in Zurich, Switzerland, founded in 1988. The gallery operates as a unified gallery offering featuring artist representation, curated exhibitions, and art fair participation. The portfolio includes Gallery Exhibitions (the core exhibition program at its Zurich location), Artist Representation (over 50 contemporary artists), 36.1 Projects (a dedicated space for emerging artists), an Art Shop (publications and limited editions), and participation in major international art fairs. The gallery does not operate a technology platform or SaaS product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Gallery Exhibitions Curated contemporary art exhibitions at the Zurich gallery space presenting represented and invited artists across painting, sculpture, photography, and mixed media, intended for collectors, museums, advisors, and institutional visitors.
• Artist Representation Long-term professional representation of more than 50 international contemporary artists including Ira Blank, John Baldessari, Robert Mapplethorpe, Thomas Ruff, Lawrence Weiner, Pedro Cabrita Reis, and emerging figures, providing market access, exhibition programming, and sales on the primary market.
• 36.1 Projects

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and flagship.

• miart MilanmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 16 April 2026Gallery participates in miart 2026 with a duo presentation of Robert Mapplethorpe and Jacopo Benassi, Booth B07, at Allianz MiCo in Milan.
• ARCO MadridmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 4 March 2026Gallery participates in ARCO Madrid art fair with Booth 9C02, featuring artists Laura Carralero and Koenraad Dedobbeleer among others, extending reach to Spanish and international collectors.
• Gallery Climate CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026The gallery is a member of the Gallery Climate Coalition, an organization focused on reducing carbon emissions in the art world and promoting environmental sustainability practices among galleries.
• Art Basel Miami BeachflagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 3 December 2025Gallery participates in Art Basel Miami Beach 2025 with Booth G12, highlighting Caribbean art scene with Flavio Garciandía and Michel Pérez Pollo, plus dedicated Kabinett for HR Giger.
• Art Basel ParisflagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 21 October 2025Gallery participates in Art Basel Paris 2025 at Grand Palais with Booth B51, featuring Irma Blank, Jacopo Benassi, John Baldessari, and Magali Reus.
• Frieze SeoulmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 3 September 2025Gallery participates in Frieze Seoul at COEX Convention & Exhibition Center, Booth C04, featuring works by Magnus Plessen, Lawrence Weiner, Maia Ruth Lee, Michel Pérez Pollo, Markus Saile, and Poppy Jones.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Pace Gallery: Major international contemporary gallery with locations in New York, London, Hong Kong, Seoul, and Tokyo; represents artists at a similar tier and competes with Mai 36 in institutional placements and art fair participation.
• David Zwirner: New York-based global contemporary art mega-gallery representing major post-war and contemporary artists with multi-city locations; competes with Mai 36 for blue-chip estate representation and institutional museum placements, though at significantly larger scale.
• White Cube: London-based international contemporary art gallery with multiple global locations representing blue-chip contemporary artists; overlaps with Mai 36 on artist roster tier and collector base though at significantly larger operational scale.
• Gagosian: World's largest contemporary art gallery network with 18+ global locations; competes broadly with Mai 36 in the primary market for high-value contemporary works and at all major international art fairs, though Gagosian's scale and roster breadth dwarf Mai 36.

Direct peers

• Hauser & Wirth: Swiss-founded international contemporary art gallery with roots in Zurich, representing a similarly high-caliber roster of post-war and contemporary artists across global locations including multiple art fair participations — directly comparable in curatorial focus, artist tier, and geographic strategy.
• Lisson Gallery: London-based contemporary art gallery with a long-established roster of international conceptual and post-war artists; comparable to Mai 36 in artist caliber, institutional placement focus, and global art fair participation.
• Galerie Eva Presenhuber: Zurich-based contemporary art gallery with comparable focus on international established and emerging artists, multi-decade history, and active participation in the same global art fair circuit (Art Basel, Frieze) — the most direct geographic and programmatic peer.
• Sprüth Magers: Berlin and London-based contemporary art gallery representing a comparable roster of conceptual and post-war European artists, with overlapping institutional and museum clientele and similar art fair presence.
• Galerie Urs Meile: Swiss contemporary art gallery (Lucerne/Beijing) with comparable mid-sized footprint and focus on international conceptual artists; a close regional peer to Mai 36 in scale, geographic origin, and curatorial approach.
• Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac: European contemporary art gallery with locations in Salzburg, London, Paris, and Seoul — directly comparable to Mai 36 in artist roster caliber, geographic multi-city strategy, and active participation in European and Asian art fairs.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Mai36Galerie
• Facebookfacebook.com/mai36galerie
• Instagraminstagram.com/mai36galerie
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mai-36-galerie

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Mai 36 Galerie