Valentina Akerman and her husband, artist Joe Bradley, founded Galerie Sardine in Amagansett last summer, operating out of an 18th-century farmhouse. The gallery's debut season includes residencies and exhibitions with artists such as Jean Prounis, Julian Kent, Joline Kwakkenbos, Tenki Hiramatsu, and Nate Lowman, along with special events like a Beni Rugs residency and garden dinners. Akerman also curated a Sardine program at Le Consortium Museum in Dijon, France, while Bradley shows new work at David Zwirner's London gallery.
The gallery matters because it represents a new model of intimate, location-driven art programming in the Hamptons, blending living space with exhibition space and attracting high-profile patrons like Larry Gagosian. Its rapid rise and cross-continental reach signal a shift toward more personal, flexible gallery models that embrace both local community and international visibility.