Nancy Durrant, Arts Commissioning Editor for The Times, tells the remarkable story of Hannah Barry, her eponymous gallery and their heartening rise.

Portrait by Nick Seaton.

The best view of London, in London is not, as you might expect, from the top of Big Ben, or Norman Foster’s Gherkin, or the zenith of the London Eye’s graceful arc. One reason for this is that the view from each of these landmarks misses the impressive edifice on which you stand. The best view in London, incorporating all of these, is from the top floor of Peckham Rye Multi-storey Car Park.

Peckham? You might squeal. Home of Trotter’s Independent Trading? Thanks, but I’ll manage without. But there’s a good reason why you shouldn’t. This car park is currently home to Bold Tendencies IV, the fourth edition of an annual exhibition of new contemporary sculpture. The name was a bit of a joke, the first time around, but Bold Tendencies has since become a major fixture on London’s summer art calendar. Among the hundreds of people who attended this year’s opening party were Sir Nick Serota, head of Tate; Jay Jopling, director of White Cube gallery which represents, among others, Tracey Emin and Damien Hirst; Turner Prize winning artist Martin Creed and Sir Norman Rosenthal, former secretary of the Royal Academy, inspecting the work on display and enjoying a drink at Frank’s, the pop-up café bar that has been wisely installed on the top floor.

This is hardly your average art gallery. But then the young woman behind it is hardly your average gallerist…