One of the best ways to see the top galleries is with Art Tours of
Manhattan, which runs informed (if pricey) guided tours. Also, pick up
a copy of the Gallery Guide
- available upon request in the larger galleries - for listings of current shows and each gallery's specialty. The weekly
Time Out New York
offers broad listings of the major commercial galleries. We've listed some of the more interesting options in Manhattan.
123 Watts
123 Watts St (between Greenwich and Hudson) tel 212/219-1482.
Trendy gallery known for its photography, along with other forms of
contemporary art; has shown work by Robert Mapplethorpe, Arturo Cuenca
and Bruno Ulmer.
John Gibson
568 Broadway (at Prince St), Suite 101 tel 212/925-1192.
Avant-garde and old school American painting, sculpture and prints, with an emphasis on conceptual art and abstract works.
Lehmann Maupin
39 Greene St (between Canal and Grand sts) tel 212/965-0753.
Shows a range of established international and American contemporary artists working in a wide range of media.
Louis Meisel
141 Prince St (at West Broadway) tel 212/677-1340.
Specializes in Photorealism - past shows have included Richard Estes and Chuck Close - as well as Abstract Illusionism.
Global works, especially contemporary pieces by emerging Latin American and Middle Eastern artists. Mon-Fri 11am-6pm.
Barbara Gladstone Gallery
515 W 24th St (between 10th and 11th aves) tel 212/206-9300.
Paintings, sculpture and photography by hot contemporary artists such as Matthew Barney and Rosemarie Trockel.
Gagosian Gallery
W 24th St (between 10th and 11th aves) tel 212/228-2828.
This stalwart of the New York scene, owned by an ex-LA poster salesman, features modern and contemporary art.
Matthew Marks Gallery
522 W 22nd St (between 10th and 11th aves) tel 212/243-0200.
The centerpiece of Chelsea's art scene, it shows the work of such
well-known minimalist and abstract artists as Cy Twombly, Ellsworth
Kelly and Lucien Freud. See also the branch at 523 W 24th St.
Pat Hearn
530 W 22nd St (between 10th and 11th aves) tel 212/727-7366.
This longtime venue was an influential presence in its former SoHo
location, and continues to specialize in abstract and conceptual
artists, and risky exhibits.
Paula Cooper
534 W 21st St (between 10th and 11th aves) tel 212/255-1105.
Another influential gallery that shows a wide range of contemporary
painting, sculpture, drawings, prints and photographs, particularly
minimalist and abstract works.
Robert Miller
524 W 26th St (between 10th and 11th aves) tel 212/366-4774.
Exceptional shows of twentieth-century art, including paintings by
David Hockney and Lee Krasner, and photographs by artists sich as Diane
Artus and Robert Mapplethorpe.
Sonnabend
536 W 22nd St (between 10th and 11th aves) tel 212/627-1018.
A top gallery featuring painting, photography and video from
contemporary American and European artists, including Robert Morris and
Gilbert and George.
MIDTOWN AND UPPER EAST SIDE
Knoedler & Co.
19 E 70th St (between 5th and Madison aves) tel 212/794-0550.
Highly renowned gallery specializing in abstract and Pop artists and
post-war and contemporary art with a focus on the New York School.
Shows some of the best-known names in twentieth-century art, including
Stella, Rauschenberg and Fonseca.
Leo Castelli
59 E 79th St tel 212/249-4470.
One of the original dealer-collectors, Castelli was instrumental in
aiding the careers of Rauschenberg and Warhol, and offers big
contemporary names at big prices.
Marlborough/Marlborough Graphics
40 W 57th St tel 212/541-4900.
Internationally renowned galleries show the cream of modern and
contemporary artists and graphic designers, including Francis Bacon,
R.B. Kitaj and others.
Mary Boone
745 5th Ave, 4th floor (between 57th and 58th sts) tel 212/752-2929.
Specializes in installations, paintings and works by up-and-coming
European and American artists. A top gallery, now with an interesting
Chelsea addition (541 W 24th St between 10th and 11th aves tel
212/752-2929).
PaceWildenstein
32 E 57th St tel 212/421-3292.
This celebrated gallery has carried works by most of the great modern
American and European artists; from Picasso to Rothko. A SoHo satellite
located at 142 Greene St (tel 212/431-9224) specializes in edgier works
and large installations.
The galleries below provide a forum for the
kind of risky and non-commercially viable art that many other galleries
- reliant on trying to get art into the hands of buyers - may not be
able to afford to show.
Artists Space 38 Greene St, 3rd floor (between Canal
and Grand sts) tel 212/226-3970. One of the most respected alternative
spaces, with frequently changing theme-based exhibits, film screenings,
and the like.
Clocktower 346 Broadway (between Worth and
Leonard sts) tel 212/233-1096. Temporary exhibitions, and an annual
studio program run by PS1, in which artists work in the studio space
within the clock tower. Visitors are allowed to wander around and talk
to the artists about their work. Go just to see the incredible views of
downtown.
DIA Center for the Arts
548 W 22nd St tel 212/989-5566,
www.diacenter.org
. The pre-eminent Alternative Art Foundation's largest gallery space
shows yearlong exhibitions of work by artists such as Joseph Beuys, Dan
Graham, Robert Ryman and Kids of Survival.
PS 1 Contemporary Arts Center
22-25 Jackson Ave (46th St, Long Island City, Queens). tel 718/784-2084,
www.ps1.org
. $2 suggested donation. Based in an old schoolhouse, this is the place for avant-garde and experimental new art.
Galleries 
