Our list of 15 New York City gallery exhibitions that revolutionized the city’s history and transformed the art scene starts 80 years ago. Prior to that, New York’s art scene was considered provincial compared to Paris. However, in the 1940s, the rise of American painters like Jackson Pollock, Barnett Newman, and Mark Rothko shifted the center of gravity, giving birth to a series of pioneering New York galleries that still thrive to this day.
Museums, with their sizable budgets and curatorial teams, as well as alternative spaces and non-profit organizations unaffected by the commercial pressures of New York City, have arguably played a bigger role in shaping the public’s perception of art. Nevertheless, the best galleries manage to transcend these pressures and embrace the untested and unfamiliar, making them spaces where viewers often discover new art and artists. The fact that many galleries on this list no longer exist, or have transformed into something different, highlights the volatility of the gallery model. And yet, unlike major museums that have increased their admission fees, galleries remain free to enter, underscoring their significance.
Of course, this exercise is subjective. To see proof of this, take a look at the alternative list produced by asking different individuals about their favorite New York City gallery exhibitions. The list below is not a definitive history, but rather one viewpoint on how contemporary art has evolved in New York since World War II. It also emphasizes the obstacles faced by women and people of color in having their work exhibited, battles that continue to this day, and the exceptions to this rule often result in the most vital shows.
- “Jackson Pollock: First Exhibition — Paintings and Drawings” at Art of This Century, 1943
- “Jasper Johns — Paintings” at Leo Castelli Gallery, 1958
- “Don Judd” at the Green Gallery, 1963
- “Eccentric Abstraction” at Fischbach Gallery, 1966
- “Benefit for the Student Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam” at Paula Cooper Gallery, 1968
- “Synthesis” at Just Above Midtown, 1974
In the 1930s and early ’40s, the New York gallery scene was dreary, until Peggy Guggenheim, like an artist herself, upended it. Unable to establish a museum in London due to the Nazis, Guggenheim returned to New York in 1942 and opened Art of This Century, a multipurpose space with three galleries for her collection and a fourth for contemporary and mostly American art for sale. Although short-lived, the gallery frequently showcased Jackson Pollock, who would become the leading figure of Abstract Expressionism. Guggenheim gave Pollock his first solo show in 1943, followed by shows in 1945, ’46, and ’47. Notably, Guggenheim provided Pollock with a stipend, giving other artists hope of sustaining themselves through their art. The critic Robert Coates hailed Pollock as an “authentic discovery” after his first solo show, which included “The She-Wolf” (1943), later acquired by the Museum of Modern Art.
New York’s art scene in the 1950s was largely shaped by artist-run spaces, with the Ninth Street Show of 1951 being a prominent example. This show featured Abstract Expressionist works by Joan Mitchell, Franz Kline, Helen Frankenthaler, and others. Leo Castelli, a budding dealer, provided financial support for the rental of a storefront and assisted with the installation of the show. Soon after opening his own gallery in his Upper East Side living room in 1957, Castelli visited Robert Rauschenberg’s loft on Pearl Street, which led him to see works by Jasper Johns, Rauschenberg’s neighbor and lover. Impressed, Castelli immediately offered Johns a show. The exhibition, held 10 months later, showcased paintings that revitalized familiar American icons like flags, targets, and numbers, bringing freshness and excitement to the art world. According to critic Peter Schjeldahl, Johns’s flag painting “ended modern art” or at least challenged the dominance of Abstract Expressionism, paving the way for new movements like Pop Art. Castelli later championed Andy Warhol by exhibiting his vibrant “Flowers” series several years after Johns’s debut.
While the world embraced Pop Art, minimalism quietly emerged as a more introspective and intellectually-driven movement, seeking to distill art to its fundamental elements of shape, material, and color. Donald Judd presented his three-dimensional work at the Green Gallery, which was known for its avant-garde approach. In 1963, Judd participated in two group exhibitions and held a solo show, featuring ridged-wood wall reliefs painted in cadmium red and framed with galvanized iron, as well as several free-standing rectangular prisms. Curator James Meyer described this exhibition as a “declaration of fundamental principles,” although not everyone fully comprehended it. In his review, critic Brian O’Doherty wrote, “Not this time, Green Gallery, not this time.” Nonetheless, Judd, also a critic, influenced numerous artists, designers, and architects to adopt his preoccupations, becoming the leading figure of minimalism while resisting the label.
Strict minimalists aimed to create self-evident works, as Frank Stella put it, art that you could see without any hidden meaning. However, what about formal objects that referenced their own creation and perhaps even the human body? “Eccentric Abstraction,” held at Fischbach Gallery in 1966 and curated by Lucy Lippard, explored this question. The exhibition showcased Louise Bourgeois’s lumpy latex molds, a work by Alice Adams consisting of a woven chicken wire sleeve within a larger sleeve made of chain-link fencing, a Keith Sonnier sculpture incorporating an inflating vinyl bag, and an Eva Hesse piece featuring two phallic forms wrapped in cord and connected with surgical hose. These objects featured curved lines, soft or flexible surfaces, and a hint of eroticism. While Lippard claims she wasn’t yet aware of feminist art, “Eccentric Abstraction” is now regarded as a pivotal show for early feminist art.
Paula Cooper was the first dealer to open a gallery in SoHo. In 1968, she inaugurated her loft space on 96 Prince Street with a show that married minimalist art with political protest. While the artworks themselves, such as Jo Baer’s diptych of white canvases outlined in lilac and black, Carl Andre’s row of red bricks, and Sol LeWitt’s initial wall drawing, were not overtly political, they conveyed the artists’ stand against the war. Half of the proceeds from the exhibition were donated to the Student Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam and Vietnam Veterans Against the War. This show not only revealed that art and politics could intertwine but also marked the birth of a new arts district.
Linda Goode Bryant established Just Above Midtown (JAM) in 1974, a time when Black American artists faced an art world establishment that was predominantly white and actively exclusionary. While artists of color had already fought back through collectives, campaigns, and underground exhibitions, JAM was different – a fully-fledged contemporary gallery located amongst established galleries on 57th Street. Although JAM showcased artists beyond the Black community, it provided a platform for underrepresented voices. The gallery paved the way for Black artists to gain recognition and fostered a transformative movement in the art world.
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