Manhattan has more than 500 private art galleries, selling everything from old masters to tomorrow’s news. That number effectively makes the Big Apple the planet's premier marketplace for contemporary art. 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.
Right now, more than 250 galleries are now on the blocks spanning 20th to 29th streets between Tenth and Eleventh avenues in West Chelsea, so if you want to visit several in one fell swoop, this is is the easiest way to do so. Gallery after gallery has taken over the former warehouse and industrial spaces of this dusty old 'hood, creating an eminently walkable arts district. You can have a perfectly lovely time simply getting lost in the area and wandering blindly from one space to the next, although you can hit a lot of clunky exhibitions (just as with any collection of new art, some are better than others)—but so what? If you want to take this course of action, start on 24th Street, which has the largest assortment of “name” galleries. You can also 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.
Another tack might be to catch a tour of the area (see below) or to concentrate on the following eight galleries, which have made their reputations with consistently thought-provoking shows.
Note: Your best subway option for all the following galleries is to take either the C or E line to 23rd St.
303 Gallery 555 W. 21st St. (www.303gallery.com; (tel. 212/255-1121). The Whitney biennial has this gallery on speed dial, having picked up works by several of the young to mid-career, cutting-edge photographers and painters who present shows here. For a good look at the artists the gallery represents, visit the website first.
Paula Cooper 534 W. 21st St. (www.paulacoopergallery.com; tel. 212/255-1105). Cooper used to be one of the biggest names in art, the dealer that everyone wanted. Though she’s slipped in the last decade and lost some of her big-name clients, she still has the exquisite taste she’s always had, and exhibits a number of prominent artists, including Mark di Suvero, Claes Oldenburg, Sol LeWitt, and Donald Judd.
Gagosian 555 W. 24th St. and 522 W. 21st. (www.gagosian.com; tel. 212/741-1111). A massive, important family of galleries (one uptown, one in Los Angeles, several in Europe), it presents blockbuster shows of works from such major 20th- and 21st-century figures as Julian Schnable, Helen Frankenthaler, Nan Goldin, and Cindy Sherman.
Barbara Gladstone Gallery 515 W. 24th St. and 530 W. 21st. St. (www.gladstonegallery.com; tel. 212/206-9300). Come here to see the artists who have emerged as big honchos in the last decade or so, such as Matthew Barney and Richard Prince. Gladstone tends to feature conceptual, often highly political art—most prominently photography and videos, but also sculpture and paintings.
Yossi Milo 245 Tenth Ave. (www.yossimilogallery.com; tel. 212/404-0370). One of my personal favorites, Milo works almost exclusively with photographers and has a terrific eye for the next big thing. He also runs a very friendly gallery, and he and his staff are always happy to talk with interested patrons. Because he represents photographers, some of them selling multiple editions of their work, you just may be able to afford to buy something here.
Pace Gallery 510 W. 25th St., 537 W. 24th St. (www.pacegallery.com; tel. 212/929-7000). Another “Blue Chip” gallery, with two outposts in Chelsea (see above), one in Midtown (32 E. 57th St.), one in London, and two in China. Pace has been a powerhouse since the 1960s. Shows in 2014 featured the works of such biggies as Chuck Close, James Turrell, and a Mark Rothko retrospective.
Andrea Rosen 544 W. 24th st. (www.andrearosengallery.com; tel. 212/627-6000). The Rosen gallery is a terrific place to see emerging artists, especially those who are “installation happy” and like to create entire environments for their viewers. It seems that each time I come here I’m stepping into some new type of utopia (or dystopia); the experience can be chilling and exciting.
Sonnabend Gallery 536 W. 22nd St. (www.sonnabendgallery.com; tel. 212/627-1018). Maybe I’ve just hit it right, but I find that the Sonnabend has something that’s missing from so many galleries: a sense of humor. Most of the work I’ve seen here has been purposefully funny—odd Star Wars sculptures, videos of Germans singing along to Madonna songs, clocks shaped like ships—and after all of the “serious art” at other places, coming into this playful atmosphere is a delight. Sonnabend is one of the more established galleries, founded by the former wife of famed dealer Leo Castelli.
David Zwirner 519, 525 and 533 W. 19th St. and 437 W. 20th St. (www.davidzwirner.com; tel. 212/727-7020). This is not the place for people with delicate sensibilities, but if you don’t mind seeing art that’s really on the edge, you’ll often find something here that will get your adrenaline pumping. Zwirner was profiled in the New York Times in March 2013, which praised his “idiosyncratic roster, with great oddballs like R. Crumb and Raymond Pettibon alongside institutional darlings like Stan Douglas and Francis Alÿs.”
A gallery tour: Allowing an expert to lead you through this ever-shifting maze of art is a good idea. And New York’s foremost expert in the Chelsea Gallery scene—he visits 50 to 70 shows a week just to keep current—is Raphael Risemburg of NY Gallery Tours ★ (http://nygallerytours.com; tel 212/946-1548). Risemburg, a former professor at Keane College in New Jersey, has a droll, friendly manner and leads his tours in Socratic fashion: He’ll tell you what he thinks of the art at the four to five galleries you cover on your tour, and then ask your opinion on the unanswered questions it poses. His open tours are offered almost every Saturday ($20), and he also leads private tours for $300 (though you can bring along multiple people on those).
Lower East Side Galleries
The Lower East Side has become a mecca for art galleries. Rising rents in Chelsea pushed a number of them into this neighborhood, but the transformation of the area from immigrant enclave to haven for the hip also played a role. So which should you see? You never know what artists or types of artwork will be on display, but there’s usually something intriguing to see at 291 Grand Street, the neighborhood’s first all-gallery building (it houses four; it’s at the corner of Eldridge Street, near the Grand Street subway stop, which gets the B and D lines). 17 Essex Gallery (at 17 Essex St., www.17essex.info) is another sure bet, female-owned with works only by women artists. And for a taste of bubbly with your browsing, head to the Richard Tattinger Gallery (154 Ludlow St., richardtattinger.com); the scion of the French champagne house has an expert eye for contemporary African art, and often treats gallery visitors to a drink of the family wine. Other notable art dens include Bridget Donahue (99 Bowery, 2nd floor, near Hester St.; www.bridgetdonahue.nyc); Andrew Edlin (212 Bowery St. btw. Prince and Spring sts.; www.edlingallery.com); Pierogi (155 Suffolk St. btw. Stanton and East Houston sts.; www.pierogi2000.com); and Mitchell Algus(132 Delancey St. at Norfolk St.; www.mitchellalgusgallery.com).
-Pauline Frommer
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.
