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October brings pumpkins, colder temperatures and fewer cars to the East End. This year, it has brought a crop of new Hamptons art spaces westward to Manhattan.
Adding a city location to their Hamptons businesses are Boltax Gallery on Shelter Island, McNeill Art Group of Southampton, James Kennedy of Surface Library in East Hampton and Keszler Gallery of Southampton. Returning for another season of exhibiting in New York City is Solar of East Hampton.
In all cases, the western expansion is a sign of confidence that’s unrelated to the uncertain economic times.
“As far east as we are, if you want to expand and grow your business, there’s only one direction to go—you have to go west,” Boltax Gallery’s Karen Boltax said.
Stephen Keszler agreed. “It’s logical to expand to the city. There are more people and the chance there’s more people who may like what we’re already showing,” he said. “I hope the Madison Avenue gallery will become our main gallery and the Southampton gallery our second location.”
Setting up shop in Manhattan means city collectors who missed art exhibits during the crunched social season can easily drop by the New York City space.
“Fewer people made it out to the Hamptons this summer because of the economy or they came out for shorter periods of time,” Mr. Kennedy said. “Even if they were here, people can’t make it to every show. Having a place in the city is convenient: they can hop a subway and drop by to see the work.”
Having a second exhibition space can allow gallery owners and art dealers to take artistic chances. The
McNeill Art Group’s new Project Space includes art and artists outside of coordinator Beth McNeill Muhs’s typical fold. Focusing on unusual materials, the first exhibition, “Plastic, Rubber + Wood,” opens on October 21 with a reception from 6 to 9 p.m. at 143 Reade Street, Tribeca. The exhibition includes artists Mike Solomon, Ji Yong-Ho and Esma Pacal Turam, and the lineup also includes Tapp Francke, Jeff Muhs, Soraida Bedoya, Tyrome Tripoli and others.
Harnessing a growing trend, the McNeill Group’s exhibition space is in the foyer of a high-end co-op. Shows will change every three months and will open with a reception. The space is open by appointment. For information, call 531-838-4843 or visit www.mcneillartgroup.com.
“Since there was a delay in completing the space, I had plenty of time to research materials and themes that interested me,” Ms. McNeill Muhs said. “It allowed me time to put together a show of artists I admire.”
While exhibiting art in a new place can give creativity a chance to bloom for gallery directors, placing art in a livable space also allows people to see art in a way they might not have considered if they were looking at the same piece in a white-walled space, Ms. McNeill Muhs pointed out. Seeing the art daily, as they would in a building foyer, gives potential collectors the chance to live with art and perhaps develop an affinity for a new artist.
Art in a livable context is the perspective Ms. Boltax will offer when presenting art in her New York City viewing space/apartment. Her midtown space opened October 1 and has already drawn clients. Ms. Boltax purposefully picked the location because it’s a few steps from the first Hampton Jitney stop on Third Avenue.
In addition to private viewings, Ms. Boltax will offer monthly gatherings similar to the Friday Night Salons held all summer at the Shelter Island gallery. The New York City salons will be held at her midtown location and in artists’ studios. For information, email info@boltaxgallery.com.
Esperanza León of Solar also presents the work of individual artists in their studios and/or residences in addition to her East Hampton gallery. Last weekend, she held dual events for Amagansett artist Joseph Eschenberg. In August, she presented sculpture and paintings by Jack Stone of East Hampton.
For each show, the artwork must command a presence that allows viewers to experience it as intimately as in her East Hampton gallery, Ms. León said. Solar began hosting shows last winter at Elga Wimmer PCC in Chelsea. Curating shows in the long white-walled space with its towering ceilings challenged Ms. León to think differently. She faced a different challenge when installing Jack Stone’s towering sculpture on the sprawling grounds of his East Hampton home.
“I find the satellite exhibits challenging and more interesting to install,” Ms. León said.
New York City spaces make reaching different art audiences easier. Solar is presenting a solo show by Venezuelan artist Astolfo Funes in November at Elga Wimmer in Chelsea, coinciding with the Pinta Art Fair. A concurrent solo show will be held at Solar in East Hampton. Visit www.artsolar.com for more information.
Mr. Kennedy opened his new studio-gallery in Chelsea in time to take part in the High Line Open Studio Tour. His opening reception there on Thursday, October 15, from 5 to 8 p.m. coincides with the tour’s launch. The self-guided studio tour continues through Sunday. See www.highlineopenstudio09.com for more information.
Mr. Kennedy’s space is located at 551 West 21st Street, number 402 (www.jameskennedyonline.com). He plans to show a developing new series of paintings first shown at Sara Nightingale Gallery this summer. Ceramics by Bob Bachler—his partner and co-director of Surface Library gallery—will also be shown there. The current exhibit at Surface Library features art by both men through November 15.
Being in New York allows for easy connections with active collectors. Ms. León found that the Manhattan location broadened the reach of the East Hampton gallery and created links for her artists with new collectors. Having the Chelsea gallery for a month per exhibition proved more effective for sales and networking than having a booth at an art fair, she said.
The Keszler Gallery opened its second gallery last week at 984 Madison Avenue in the former Wally Finlay Gallery location. The gallery has around 5,000 square feet of space—more than doubling the size of the Southampton gallery. Both locations feature the same artists—including Russell Young, Banksy, Peter Beard, David Gamble, and European fashion photographers, among others. (www.keszlergallery.com)
“Madison Avenue is like Main Street in Southampton,” Mr. Keszler said. “It’s the same type of people. People like us in Southampton and I hope they’ll like us on Madison Avenue. We hope we’ll be happy and successful there.”
on Oct 13, 2009