Pace Welcomes Kyoko Hattori as Vice President to Lead Tokyo Expansion

Pace is pleased to announce that its gallery in Tokyo’s new Azabudai Hills development, which will begin welcoming visitors this year, will be helmed by Kyoko Hattori. Working closely with Pace’s international leadership in her new role, Hattori will introduce the gallery’s artists and clients to the fast-growing arts scene in Japan, both within and beyond its capital city. She brings her expertise on the Japanese art market, along with a robust network of colleagues in Tokyo’s arts community, to Pace. As Vice President, she will focus on developing a Japanese collector base for the gallery and cultivating new relationships with local artists and institutions.

Most recently, Hattori worked as Regional Director of Phillips in Japan. Opening Phillips’s Tokyo office in 2016, she was responsible for managing client relationships and securing significant consignments from Japan, including a monumental Jean-Michel Basquiat painting from Yusaku Maezawa’s collection. Over the course of her tenure at Phillips, Hattori helped establish the enterprise as one of the top global auction houses in Japan. Hattori earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Tokyo and held roles at major financial services and consulting firms earlier in her career. Hattori sits on the Board of FWD Group, a leading Pan Asia insurance business.

Kyoko Hattori says:

“Joining Pace Gallery and inaugurating Pace Tokyo fills me with boundless excitement. It's a privilege to play a role in fostering deeper connections between Japanese collectors and museums with the global art landscape, and elevating Japan to the epicenter of culture and art market in Asia.”

Samanthe Rubell, President of Pace Gallery, says:

“Kyoko brings not only her years of experience in the Japanese and global art market to Pace, but also her deep relationships with curators, collectors, and artists throughout Japan and around the world. Her amazing energy and knowledge will be a great addition to Pace. Kyoko and her team will bring the vitality and depth of both contemporary and historic culture of Japan to our entire community.”

Pace’s gallery in Azabudai Hills—located in the heart of Tokyo—spans three floors and approximately 5,500 square feet of a building by British designer Thomas Heatherwick. The gallery’s interiors are designed by Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto, whose practice focuses on the symbiotic relationships between the human body, the natural world, and architectural design. In addition to the 3,000 square feet of exhibition space split across the first and second floors, the third floor features an outdoor terrace, integrated within the building’s landscaped design concept to evoke rolling hills.

Details about the 2024 exhibition program at Pace in Tokyo will be announced in due course. Click here to learn more.