Manhattan has more than 500 private art galleries, selling everything from old masters to tomorrow’s news. Galleries are free to the public, generally Tuesday through Saturday from 10am to 6pm. Saturday afternoon gallery-hopping, in particular, is a favorite pastime—nobody will expect you to buy, so don’t worry.
The best way to winnow down your choices is by perusing the back of the Sunday “Arts & Leisure” section of the New York Times; the listings section at the back of the weekly New York magazine, which I find to be particularly descriptive and user-friendly; the Art section in the weekly Time Out New York; or the New Yorker’s weekly “Goings on About Town” section. You can also find the latest exhibition listings online at www.nymag.com/arts/art, which will give you full access to New York magazine’s listings; www.artnet.com; and www.artinfo.com. An excellent source—more for practicals on the galleries and the artists and genres they represent rather than current shows—is www.artincontext.org.
Keep in mind that uptown galleries tend to be more traditional and exclusive feeling, downtown galleries more high-ticket contemporary, and far-west Chelsea galleries the most cutting edge. Museum-quality works dominate uptown, while raw talent and emerging artists are most common in west Chelsea. But there are constant surprises in all neighborhoods.
Uptown -- Uptown galleries are clustered in and around the glamorous crossroads of Fifth Avenue and 57th Street as well as on and off stylish Madison Avenue in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Unlike their upstart Chelsea and SoHo counterparts, these blue-chip galleries maintain a quiet white-glove demeanor. They include art-world powerhouses Gagosian Gallery, 980 Madison Ave. (tel. 212/744-2313; www.gagosian.com), and PaceWildenstein, 32 E. 57th St. (tel. 212/421-3292; www.pacewildenstein.com), whose focus is on classic modernism, representing such artists as Jim Dine, Barbara Hepworth, and Claes Oldenburg; and the Richard Gray Gallery, 1018 Madison Ave., Fourth Floor (tel. 212/472-8787; www.richardgraygallery.com), which features American and European contemporary works, with artists ranging from Josef Albers to David Hockney.
Chelsea -- The area in the west 20s, between Tenth and Eleventh avenues, is home to the avant-garde of today’s New York art scene, with W. 26th St. serving as the unofficial “gallery row.” Most galleries are not in storefronts but in the large spaces of multistory former garages and warehouses. Galleries worth seeking out include Paula Cooper, 534 W. 21st St. (tel. 212/255-1105; www.paulacoopergallery.com), a heavyweight in the modern-art world, specializing in conceptual and minimal art; one of Chelsea’s biggest galleries, the Matthew Marks Gallery, 523 W. 24th St. (tel. 212/243-0200; www.matthewmarks.com); the George Billis Gallery, 521 W. 26th St. (tel. 212/645-2621; www.georgebillis.com), which shows works by talented emerging artists; Barbara Gladstone Gallery, 515 W. 24th St. (tel. 212/206-9300; www.gladstonegallery.com); uptown powerhouse Gagosian Gallery, 555 W. 24th St. (tel. 212/741-1111; www.gagosian.com), which shows such major modern artists as Richard Serra and John Currin; Cheim & Read, 547 W. 25th St. (tel. 212/242-7727; www.cheimread.com), which often shows works by such high-profile popular artists as Diane Arbus and Robert Mapplethorpe; Alexander and Bonin, 132 Tenth Ave. (tel. 212/367-7474; www.alexanderandbonin.com), which mounts excellent solo exhibitions; James Cohan Gallery, 533 W. 26th St. (tel. 212/714-9500; www.jamescohan.com), particularly strong in modern photography; and Lehmann Maupin, 540 W. 26th St. (tel. 212/255-2923; www.lehmannmaupin.com), whose roster runs the gamut from young unknowns to such contemporary masters as Ross Bleckner. For a comprehensive listing of the Chelsea galleries, check the website www.westchelseaarts.com.
Downtown -- SoHo remains colorful, if less edgy than it used to be, with the action centered around West Broadway and encroaching onto the edge of Chinatown. Peter Blum Gallery, 99 Wooster St. (tel. 212/343-0441; www.peterblumgallery.com), which showcased the divine Kim Sooja, a Korean artist who uses traditional Korean bedcovers to comment on the promise of wedded bliss; O. K. Harris, 383 W. Broadway (tel. 212/431-3600; www.okharris.com), which shows a fascinating variety of contemporary painting, sculpture, and photography; and Louis K. Meisel, 141 Prince St. (tel. 212/677-1340; www.meiselgallery.com), which specializes in photo-realism and American pinup art (yep, Petty and Vargas girls).
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without
notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before
planning your trip.
