Stephen Friedman Gallery II

David Kohn Architects has designed the new flagship showroom for Stephen Friedman Gallery on historic Cork Street in London’s Mayfair. The new space allows the gallery to expand its operation with increased hanging space, offices for its growing team, as well as viewing rooms and art storage.

Staff health and wellbeing were key drivers of the brief, and the new space provides tailored offices, a range of meeting rooms, a kitchen, and a locker room. A generous, flexible library space, designed to host a range of activities from casual co-working to formal dinners and events, allows the social activities of the gallery to take place in one building for the first time.

A standout space is the public sculpture garden, featuring a pavilion and gate designed in collaboration with British artist David Shrigley OBE, and landscape design by Todd Longstaffe-Gowan. This ‘secret garden’ invites visitors to explore and discover new artworks, extending the experience beyond the gallery walls. The gallery opened in October 2023 with an inaugural show by British-Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare CBE RA, and since then has hosted solo shows by American artists Jeffrey Gibson and Woody De Othello.