It's no secret that Chelsea has become the Mecca of the New York City art scene. Over the past 20 years, a mass exodus of galleries moved from their original home in SoHo to this trendy nabe, and today it is home to over 300 art galleries. Gallery hopping in Chelsea is a fabulous way to spend an afternoon or an evening, when many of the top galleries host opening receptions for exhibits (complete with complimentary wine and cheese). There are way too many galleries to name here, but we've included a sampling where art is appreciated to the hilt.
A bright, spacious gallery that is especially endearing to new artists. Late founder Miki Stiles knew full well the hardships new artist faced while trying to make it in the cutthroat and competitive art scene in this city, and she was – and continues to be through Agora – instrumental in helping emerging artists from "around the world and around the corner" find a place to showcase their work. A wonderful, bright space perfect for scouting the next "big thing."
This popular gallery recently moved into a huge 2,000-square-foot space and has been celebrating ever since with a series of star-studded exhibits, including the recent Dark Day, an exhibition of new photographs by David S. Allee. The spacious gallery space is as welcoming to serious art aficionados as it is to novices.
Warning: this space is bigger than big. With more than 20,000 square feet of exhibition space, the Richard Gluckman-designed Gagosian is more like a museum than a gallery with an impressive collection of Picassos, Calders, as well as enormous installations. The gallery, owned by Larry Gagosian, allowed Gagosian artists, such as Richard Serra, Damien Hirst and Robert Therrien, to exhibit large scale works with great flexibility.
Like many Chelsea galleries, Gladstone first opened in SoHo in the late 1970s before packing up and settling in to its current space. The gallery is a foster home to many artist who work in contemporary European and American art, housing the contemporary works of Acconci, Balka, Balkenhol, Barney, Dibbets, Fabro, Faigenbaum, Hill, Prince, Starr, Trockel and Turrell among others. A gorgeous, sprawling space full of eclectic local and international artwork.
The first gallery to open in SoHo, Paula Cooper opened in the late 1960s with an exhibition to benefit the Student Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam. In more recent times, the gallery has nurtured minimal and conceptual art like a 45-foot installation of second-hand dolls as part of a Zoe Leonard show. The gallery also hosts music and dance performances, book receptions, poetry readings, and, is also big on sponsoring art exhibitions and special events to benefit national and local organizations.
CRG has been around the block, quite literally. The gallery got its start on the Upper East Side, then moved to SoHo and now, makes its home in the heart of the Chelsea gallery district on West 22nd Street. Founders Carla Chammas, Richard Desroche and Glenn McMillan (CRG) are devoted to the American and European art scene, as well as to showcasing emerging talent.
The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT)
Fashionistas love the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, the school devoted to fashion and culture. Rotating exhibits about costumes, textiles, art and design rival the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Collection. The Museum currently owns approximately 50,000 garments and accessories and 30,000 textiles. Bonus: Free admission.
That a new museum should open in this part of town speaks volumes about Chelsea as a force in the art world. The museum's collection includes European abstract artists (Corpora, Kirkeby and Theiler) and American abstract artists (Francis, Motherwell and Riopelle). There is also a formidable collection of rare books, and its Project Room sets the stage for artists to meet with visitors to discuss and demonstrate their work. Bonus: Rooftop Yoga in August.
The Best Museums and Galleries in Chelsea
Agora Gallery: 530 W. 25th St., near 11th Ave.
Morgan Lehman Gallery: 535 West 22nd Street, near 11th Ave.
Gagosian Gallery, 522 West 21st Street
Gladstone Gallery: 530 W. 21st St., near 11th Ave.
Paula Cooper Gallery: 534 W. 21st. near 11th Ave.
CRG Gallery: 548 W. 22nd Street, near 11th Ave.
The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology: 7th Ave., at W. 27 St.
The Chelsea Art Museum: 556 W. 22nd St., at 11th Ave.
