art market
Sophia Holstrom
Portrait of Duarte Sequeira. Photo by Stas Moiseyev. Courtesy of Duarte Sequeira.
For Portuguese gallerist Duarte Sequeira, “It all started with my parents.”
“My father was a doctor who was dissatisfied with his career and found joy in collecting antiques,” he told Artsy. “With my mother’s encouragement, they turned this passion into a gallery the year I was born.”
Now at the helm of the family-founded gallery, which has outposts in Braga, Portugal; London; and Seoul—Sequeira is quickly gaining global recognition. Yet despite his growing acclaim, he remains deeply connected to his roots, bringing his curatorial vision to spaces that resonate with local and international communities.
family affairs
Exterior of the Duarte Sequeira in Braga. Courtesy of Duarte Sequeira.
Sequeira grew up with artists in his family’s gallery in Braga. Duarte’s father, Mario Sequeira, founded the gallery in 1994, bringing globally renowned artists to the then-unremarkable rural town. “The gallery hosted Andy Warhol’s first solo exhibition in Portugal,” recalls Duarte, “as well as exhibitions by Richard Long, Franz West and Nan Goldin.” The gallery also hosted large group shows. The exhibition features works by artists such as Gerhard Richter, Sigmar Polke, and Georg. Or the area where the museum built its reputation as an avant-garde art space.
The gallery is set in a converted farm with a 19th-century house and former winery, surrounded by rolling green hills and palm trees. Over the years it has evolved from a gallery into an art space that goes far beyond the traditional white cube model. The space includes a 10-hectare sculpture park displaying works by Erwin Wurm, Jean-Marie Appriou and Vanessa da Silva, a 140-square-meter project space, and a 900-square-meter Portuguese-designed Main gallery. The design of the gallery is minimalist, with a distinctive white color and bold geometric shapes that contrast with the surrounding lush landscape. It also serves as a year-long artist residency, inviting international artists including Lily Kemp, Lucile Littot and Shaina McCoy to live and work in the environment that Sequeira and his family still call home.
It seemed inevitable that Sequeira would follow in his father’s footsteps, but the journey was not a foregone conclusion. “I wanted to carve my own path,” he says, reflecting on his desire to explore new opportunities outside of Braga before eventually returning to his family’s gallery with a new vision. “I moved to London in 2014 to explore the institutional side of the art world. Portugal didn’t have the vibrant artist community or institutions that I craved, so I wanted to learn and bring that energy back to Braga. When he returned in 2017 The experience in London proved invaluable when he took over the gallery. “I launched my own program in 2019 with the aim of balancing showcasing internationally renowned artists with supporting emerging talent,” he says. “The gallery is commercial, but it’s also a space for experimentation and community engagement.”
Installation view of “Patrick H Jones: Target” at Duarte Sequeira Braga, 2024.
In addition to its dual focus on global and local, Sequeria’s intention from the outset was to take a holistic approach to the programming of the gallery. “Galleries are more than just a business,” Sequeria said. “It is a space for dialogue and discovery.” The upcoming program in Braga reflects this spirit: next is the renowned Spanish artist Jorge Galindo, followed by London’s new Jin painter Edmond Brooks-Beckman. Heavyweights Julian Opie and Alex Katz will also appear later this year. When Artsy visited the gallery in October 2024, it demonstrated this balance perfectly: Sequeira featured Patrick H Jones, an emerging artist from London whose large-scale paintings capture captures the fleeting, powerful energy of horse racing.
The images are shown alongside images taken by London-based photographer Luca Brown of the Garrison, a group of historic buildings surrounding Barbados’ famous racecourse. Brown’s photographs offer a more intimate and reflective look at the sport, rooting it in a specific place with a rich history and close-knit community. Together, the exhibitions bridge the global and the local, weaving emotional distance between the fast-paced competition and quiet, reflective moments of understanding one’s place in the world.
An ever-expanding mission
Since taking over the space, Sequeira has quickly gained the family new audiences and new international recognition (Artsy is celebrating a breakthrough year for the gallery in 2023). Expansion was quickly on Sequiera’s agenda, and the gallery’s roots in Braga provided an ideal launching pad. “Initially, it was difficult to get the locals to understand what we were doing,” Duarte points out. “But it’s exciting and the unexpected is part of the gallery’s charm. For art people and those who stumble across it, Braga offers a completely different environment to the urban art scene.
The gallery’s international expansion in London and Seoul is based on this ethos. The London space, located in Hackney on the east side of the city, connects the gallery to the main art market, while the Seoul space connects European and Asian audiences. This year, the gallery will move to a new three-story space in the South Korean capital, close to other galleries including Thaddeaus Ropac and Gallery Baton. “The new space in Seoul’s Hannam neighborhood is perfect,” Sequeira said. “It is quiet and residential, with two exhibition areas and an outdoor terrace for sculptural projects. It allows us to connect cultures and bring new perspectives to our programming. The curatorial approach across all spaces remains consistent, with a shared focus Aiming to showcase both emerging and established artists, although each location is slightly adapted to cater to different audiences.
Aim for impact
Erwin Wurm, installation view of Duarte Sequeira Braga, 2024.
Sequeira’s focus is on consolidating the gallery’s existing locations, with no current plans for further expansion. However, his ambitions for the gallery’s future are clear. “I want the gallery to have an impact – not just locally, but globally,” he asserts. “Twenty years from now, I want it to be recognized as a space that has left a meaningful mark on the art world.”
To achieve this goal, the gallery will continue to build a program that includes both established and emerging artists. “For me, diversity is crucial – whether it’s medium, age, gender or perspective,” Sequeira explains. “Achieving that balance is challenging but exciting.” A recent trip to South Korea, for example, inspired him to explore the connections between generations of artists. “I met incredible Dansaekhwa artists from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s,” he recalls. “Their consistent work contrasts sharply with the exploratory energy of young artists.”
As Sequeira consolidates the gallery’s presence in two major cities in the art world, he is keen to stress that his roots in Braga remain central to the gallery’s mission. “In Braga, the cost and pace of living allow us to focus on creating meaningful projects,” he said. “Artists enjoy working in this unique environment, which enriches their creative processes and interactions with collectors.”
