Adam opened the Adam Gallery in late 1984, in an 1830s end-of-terrace house in Lambeth with a 1920s shop front, a former cobbler’s shop. He saw the peculiarities of the building and domestic scale as an interesting contrast to the idea of the gallery as a 'clean white space'. In choosing this space. Adam was initially driven by a need for studio space, a desire to control how his work was shown, and an idea that an artist-run gallery might be more responsive to the needs of artists than most commercial spaces.
In 1985/6 Adam worked first with Isabelle King and then with Nici Oxley and Nico de Oliveira (who later set up the Museum of Installation in Clerkenwell). Subsequently artists became more closely involved with running their own shows. In 1994 Adam recruited a board of artists and art professionals to help run the gallery.
The exhibition programme focused on one person shows of new work (often site-specific), with an annual group exhibition. The gallery averaged ten exhibitions a year. Exhibition policy was very loose and diverse, the gallery looked for a seriousness and clarity of intent, and a spirit of exploration in the approach to working. Most artists were little known (though some, e.g. Tracy Emin, later became household names), with work which responded to the particular nature of the building.
Erratically funded, core costs were met by studio rents, sales commission, and donations from the 'Angels of Adam Gallery'. Artists generally had to meet exhibition expenses, although London Arts Board funded four exhibitions in 1994/5 and three in 1995/6. The gallery had no paid staff. The board decided to close the gallery in 1997.
