Art Galleries to See While Visiting New York City

The many museums of New York City offer a very wide range of art for you to see (modern, old masters, photography), but some people truly enjoy visiting the smaller galleries. Many of these will feature the "up and coming" new artists. Whereas Soho used to be the center of the art scene, a great many galleries have moved north to Chelsea. The Upper East Side (where so many wealthy people live in Manhattan) still has a large share of the pricey galleries. It's better to call ahead before you plan your visit to any gallery. A great many galleries are closed on Mondays and for all of August. Some are only open a few days a week during the summer. Here's a list of some of most interesting and well-known galleries in New York City. You can also look online since most of these galleries have websites with their hours and what they are showing at the moment.

Leo Castelli (18 East 77th Street, telephone 212 249-4470) is one of the best-known galleries. It was an important showcase for the Pop Art during the 1960's and spotlights new artists.

Mary Boone is also one of the most famous galleries (745 Fifth Avenue, telephone 752-2929) shows famous artists such as Julian Schnabel.

Pace Wildenstein Gallery (534 West 25th Street, telephone 212 929-7000) exhibits a lot of stars of the art world, including some photographers. Just a few of their many stars are Mark Rothko, Pablo Picasso and Chuck Close. They have other locations at 545 West 22nd Street and 32 East 57th Street.

Marian Goodman Gallery (24 West 57th Street, telephone 977-7160) shows a lot of current, young European artists.

Matthew Marks Gallery (523 West 24th Street, telephone 212 243-0200) has wonderful artists including photographer Nan Goldin. They have other locations at 522 West 22nd and 521 West 21st Streets.

Paula Cooper (521 West 21st Street, telephone 255-1105) sometimes host controversial contemporary shows. She shows paintings, sculptures and photography in her large loft space.

Gagosian Gallery (555 West 24th Street, telephone 741-1111) shows paintings and sculptures by modern masters, with well-known artists like Warhol, Serra, Johns and Lichtenstein. It's a huge space and they also have another location at 980 Madison Avenue at 76th Street (telephone 212 744-2313).

Knoedler & Company (19 East 70th Street, telephone 212 794-0500) has a nice selection of American and European artists. It is the oldest gallery in New York City, but shows contemporary works.

General directions:

The Chelsea neighborhood is reached by taking the A, C, E subway lines to 14th or 23rd Streets. You will also find many good restaurants in this area and it close to what is known as the Meatpacking District with it's trendy shops and cafes (go East on 14th Street until you almost reach the Hudson River).

For the galleries on 57th Street, take the F train to 57th Street, or the N, R, W subways to Fifth Avenue and 59th Street, or the E or V train to Fifth Avenue and 53rd Street.

For the Upper East Side galleries, you may take the number 6 train to 68th Street or 77th Street.

You can also pick-up a free monthly publication ART NOW GALLERY GUIDE that is available at most galleries and will list more shows to see. Since the new trendy area is the Lower East Side, you can find out the names of some galleries there surrounding the New Museum of Contemporary Art, which just opened and has caused the neighborhood to blossom. It's at 235 Bowery and Stanton Streets. Take the F or V subway to Second Avenue.

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