Hauser & Wirth, the mega-gallery with locations across three continents, has announced its representation of the estate of Susan Rothenberg, the influential painter who died in 2020. Rothenberg, known for her psychologically charged works featuring horses, disembodied limbs, and uncanny landscapes, was previously represented by Sperone Westwater gallery from 1987 until her death. The gallery will debut Rothenberg's work at Art Basel in June 2025, followed by her first solo exhibition with Hauser & Wirth in New York in September 2025.
This representation matters because Rothenberg's market and critical legacy have been undervalued, according to Hauser & Wirth president Marc Payot. Despite her radical approach to abstraction in the 1970s—when painting was out of fashion and conceptual art dominated—she has received only two major surveys in her lifetime and her auction record was just $1.99 million until 2023. By aligning Rothenberg with estates like Louise Bourgeois and Philip Guston, Hauser & Wirth aims to reposition her as a major figure in postwar American painting, broadening the market beyond her iconic horse paintings and deepening institutional recognition of her full practice.