From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jay Jopling (born 1963) is a British contemporary art dealer and gallerist. He is married to the artist Sam Taylor-Wood.

After school at Eton and graduating from Edinburgh University Jopling began by dealing post-war American art. In 1991 probably the most significant event of Jopling's career occurred as Jopling formed a friendship with the artist Damien Hirst. In terms of background the two could not have been more dissimilar but Hirst had grown up in Leeds and Jopling, the son of Lord Jopling, Thatcher's Agriculture Minister, had family connections in the area. Hirst had already sold a number of works to the influential collector Charles Saatchi but was having difficulty financing the production of new work which Jopling then arranged.

Initially Jopling only supported a small list of artists including Hirst and Marc Quinn organising exhibitions in warehouses. In 1993 he opened White Cube as a blue chip gallery in St. James's, London. In 2000 the gallery moved to a larger space in Hoxton. Along the way Jopling acquired representation of a formidable list of young British artists including his wife Sam Taylor-Wood, the Chapman Brothers, Tracey Emin and Anthony Gormley.

With his trademark rectangular frame glasses and Savile Row suits Jopling is often portrayed as a svengali figure moulding and manipulating his artists and the market. While he is one of the most successful British gallerists in recent history this is more a result of his astute business sense. Jopling has the knack for picking up artists for whom there is already an established market such as Hirst or encouraging artists with established pedigree to become more market friendly.

• Photographic portrait by Harry Borden at the National Portrait Gallery.
• 1994 interview with Jay Jopling
• White Cube Website
• Tim Marlow Interview On White Cube
• Guardian Article (09/2002)