Founded in 1946 in London, Marlborough began as a dealer of rare books and artworks belonging to families whose fortunes had changed following World War II. It quickly expanded its dealings, focusing on secondary market sales.

The 1950s saw significant developments in the gallery’s program, including exhibitions of Alexej von Jawlensky, Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Oskar Kokoschka, and Edvard Munch. In 1958, Marlborough began its exclusive representation of Francis Bacon, setting a pattern for the gallery to form relationships with preeminent British artists, including Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth, Ben Nicholson, Frank Auerbach, and Lucian Freud.

In the 1960s, the gallery formed a partnership with Otto Gerson’s widow, Ilse, culminating with the 1963 opening of Marlborough-Gerson Gallery in New York. Contradicting trends that favored Pop Artists, the program embraced Abstract Expressionism. The following years featured exhibitions of Jackson Pollock, David Smith, Ad Reinhardt, and Adolph Gottlieb mounted under the name Marlborough Gallery. In 1969, Marlborough presented the seminal exhibition of Phillip Guston’s first figurative paintings. During this time, Marlborough expanded, opening branches in Rome, Zurich, and Toronto.

During the 1970s and 80s, Marlborough continued to exhibit work by acclaimed artists, including Alex Katz, Larry Rivers, Red Grooms, Beverly Pepper, and R.B. Kitaj. By the 1990s, the gallery had fostered new relationships with internationally renowned artists, including Magdalena Abakanowicz, Antonio López García, and Paula Rego. Marlborough would also expand once again, opening two branches in Spain.

Marlborough continues to produce scholarly exhibitions and publications on Magdalena Abakanowicz, Beverly Pepper, Rufino Tamayo, Tomás Sánchez, all while providing platforms to contemporary artists, including Ahmed Alsoudani and Le’Andra LeSeur, among others.