Joe Hage, the reclusive founder of Heni art services and manager of artists including Damien Hirst, Gerhard Richter, and Peter Doig, is stepping into the public eye. He is backing a major Barbara Hepworth exhibition at London's Courtauld Gallery, titled "The Joseph Hage Aaronson & Bremen Exhibition: Hepworth in Colour" (12 June–6 September). The exhibition is named after Hage's law firm, Joseph Hage Aaronson & Bremen LLP (JHAB), an elite dispute resolution and advisory practice based in London.
This move matters because Hage has long operated behind the scenes as one of the art world's most influential yet enigmatic figures. By attaching his name and his law firm's name to a major museum exhibition, he signals a shift from shadowy power broker to visible patron, potentially reshaping how the art market perceives the intersection of legal services, art management, and philanthropy.