Bel Ami takes its name from Guy Maupassant’s eponymous novel about an opportunistic young man corrupted by the allure of power. The gallery opened in Los Angeles’s Chinatown neighborhood in 2017, and was founded in collaboration with the directors of Shanaynay, a project space in Paris, France. Bel Ami is co-owned and directed by Eric Kim, Naoki Sutter-Shudo, and Lee Foley. Offering a platform to both local and international artists, our program focuses on unusual and overlooked work.