Taro Nasu

What Taro Nasu does

TARO NASU is a privately held contemporary art gallery founded in 2017 and headquartered in Roppongi, Tokyo. The gallery represents approximately 34 contemporary artists — primarily from Japan, Europe, and the United States — including figures such as Ryan Gander, Pierre Huyghe, Liam Gillick, Ryoji Ikeda, Simon Fujiwara, and Lawrence Weiner. It also administers the artistic estates and archives of deceased major artists including Marcel Broodthaers, Nancy Holt, Peter Fischli David Weiss, Carl Andre, and Anne Truitt. These estate relationships are formalized through partnerships with foundations such as the Holt/Smithson Foundation and the Lawrence Weiner Estate.

The gallery's core business is the curation and presentation of solo and group exhibitions at its Roppongi space, accompanied by participation in major international art fairs (Frieze Seoul, Frieze London, Art Basel Hong Kong, Art Fair Tokyo, Tokyo Gendai, KOGEI Art Fair Kanazawa, Art Collaboration Kyoto) and collaborations with Japanese institutions including the Pola Museum of Art, Mori Art Museum, and NTT ICC. Revenue is generated primarily through commissions on primary market sales of artworks to private collectors and institutional buyers, supplemented by a publication program (exhibition catalogues, monographs, limited-edition artist books priced JPY 500–88,000). The gallery operates through a traditional relationship-driven, field-sales model with no digital commerce channel for artwork sales and no publicly disclosed technology stack.

Name

Taro Nasu

Legal name

TARO NASU

Website

https://taronasugallery.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Short description

TARO NASU is a privately held contemporary art gallery founded in 2017 in Roppongi, Tokyo, representing approximately 34 Japanese and international artists plus several major artist estates, and serving collectors and museums through exhibitions, art fair participation, and art publications.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Art Sales Commission: The gallery represents artists and earns commissions on the sale of artworks to collectors and institutions.
2. Art Publications: Sale of exhibition catalogues, monographs, and artist books. Prices range from JPY 500 to JPY 88,000 depending on the publication.
3. Exhibition-Related Services: The gallery organizes exhibitions and related events, generating revenue through sales associated with these programming activities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

TARO NASU is a Tokyo-based contemporary art gallery that represents approximately 34 international and Japanese artists and manages estates of late artists such as Marcel Broodthaers, Nancy Holt, and Peter Fischli David Weiss. It curates solo and group exhibitions at its Roppongi gallery space, participates in major international art fairs, sells limited-edition art publications, and facilitates artwork sales to private collectors, museums, and corporate collections on a commission basis.

Product overview

TARO NASU is a contemporary art gallery located in Roppongi, Tokyo, representing approximately 34 artists primarily from Japan, Europe, and the United States. The gallery operates as a unified gallery service offering exhibition spaces for current, forthcoming, and past exhibitions, artist representation, publication of art books and catalogs, and participation in international art fairs. The core offerings include curated exhibitions featuring represented artists and project collaborators, a publication program producing artist monographs and exhibition catalogs, and active participation in the international art fair circuit. The gallery maintains relationships with artists through solo exhibitions, group shows, and special projects, serving as both an exhibition venue and publishing house for contemporary art.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Exhibition Services Curatorial and exhibition services presenting solo and group shows of contemporary art by represented artists and project collaborators at the Roppongi gallery space.
• Artist Representation Gallery representation of approximately 34 contemporary artists, primarily from Japan, Europe, and the United States, plus project collaborations with artist estates and archives.
• International Art Fair Participation Sales and exhibition presence at international art fairs including Frieze Seoul, Frieze London, Art Basel Hong Kong, Art Fair Tokyo, Tokyo Gendai, KOGEI Art Fair Kanazawa, and Art Collaboration Kyoto.
• Art Publication Program Publication and sale of art books, exhibition catalogs, and limited-edition artist monographs featuring gallery artists, with prices ranging from JPY 500 to JPY 88,000.
• Artist Estate and Archive Management Stewardship of estates and archives for late contemporary artists including Marcel Broodthaers, Nancy Holt, Peter Fischli David Weiss, Carl Andre, Hanne Darboven, Anne Truitt, and others, in cooperation with foundations such as the Holt/Smithson Foundation and the Lawrence Weiner Estate.

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

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and strategic.

• Lawrence Weiner EstatecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Following Lawrence Weiner's passing in 2021, the Lawrence Weiner Estate collaborates with TARO NASU for exhibition programming. TARO NASU's 'EMPTIED UNTIL FULL' exhibition (2024) was produced in cooperation with the estate, marking the first exhibition with the gallery since the artist's death.
• Holt/Smithson FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022The Holt/Smithson Foundation collaborates with TARO NASU to present Nancy Holt exhibitions in Japan. The foundation develops Nancy Holt's artistic legacy and works with galleries worldwide to expand her influence. This partnership enables TARO NASU to present significant works by the late Land Art pioneer.
• Sprüth MagerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Sprüth Magers, with galleries in Berlin and Los Angeles, partners with the Holt/Smithson Foundation to develop Nancy Holt's legacy. TARO NASU's Nancy Holt exhibition was developed in partnership with Sprüth Magers, providing international coordination for the artist's exhibitions.
• Pola Museum of ArtmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTARO NASU artists including Ryan Gander (YOU COMPLETE ME, 2025) and Pierre Huyghe have exhibitions at the Pola Museum of Art. The gallery maintains ongoing relationships with major Japanese art institutions for artist presentations.
• Mori Art MuseummajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMika Tajima's exhibition 'WORLD CLASSROOM: Contemporary Art through School Subjects' (2023) was held at Mori Art Museum. The gallery supports artist participation in major institutional exhibitions and group shows.
• NTT InterCommunication Center (ICC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMichiko Tsuda has presented major works at NTT ICC, including 'Occupants and King in the Configuration Forest' (2012) and participated in ICC Kids Program 2025. TARO NASU artists benefit from collaborations with this leading media art institution.
• Gladstone GallerystrategicChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTARO NASU collaborated with Gladstone Gallery as a guest gallery at Art Collaboration Kyoto 2025, featuring artists including Matthew Barney, Marcel Broodthaers, and Anne Truitt alongside international programming.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Pace Gallery: Global blue-chip gallery with a Tokyo presence representing many of the same major international artists and estates. Competes for institutional partnerships and top-tier collector sales.
• Hauser & Wirth: Global mega-gallery with strong representation of established post-war and contemporary artists and estates. Competes for institutional placements, estate mandates, and high-net-worth collectors in Asia.
• Perrotin: Major international gallery with a permanent Tokyo space, representing many blue-chip contemporary artists and estates. Overlaps directly with TARO NASU's roster (e.g., Pierre Huyghe) and competes for the same collectors and institutional placements.

Direct peers

• Taka Ishii Gallery: Tokyo-based contemporary art gallery with parallel focus on Japanese and international conceptual, photography, and media artists. Most directly comparable peer in terms of programming style, fair participation, and primary market model.
• Tomio Koyama Gallery: Long-running Tokyo gallery representing contemporary Japanese and international artists, with a similar focus on conceptual and post-war practices. Closely comparable in scale and positioning.
• SCAI THE BATHHOUSE: Established Tokyo contemporary gallery representing a mix of Japanese and international artists, active at major art fairs. Comparable in roster profile and institutional collaborations in Japan.
• Ota Fine Arts: Tokyo- and Singapore-based contemporary gallery representing Japanese and Southeast Asian artists, with strong art fair presence. Comparable gallery-business model across Asia.
• Gladstone Gallery: New York- and Brussels-based contemporary gallery representing many of the same blue-chip artists (Anne Truitt, Carl Andre, Matthew Barney). Documented partner at Art Collaboration Kyoto; comparable curatorial profile and estate mandate focus.
• Sprüth Magers: Berlin- and Los Angeles-based contemporary gallery representing conceptual and post-war artists. Already a documented partner (Nancy Holt/Holt-Smithson Foundation); shares overlapping roster and curatorial sensibility.

Regional players

• Kukje Gallery: Seoul-based contemporary gallery representing Korean and international artists with strong institutional ties across Asia. Comparable as a regional contemporary gallery competing for the same Frieze Seoul collector pool.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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 Taro Nasu