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David Lewis Gallery

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Coordinates: 40°43′8″N 74°0′12″W / 40.71889°N 74.00333°W / 40.71889; -74.00333
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Front entrance of David Lewis Gallery in Tribeca (2023)

David Lewis was a contemporary art gallery in New York founded by art historian David Lewis in 2013.[1][2][3] The gallery was known for representation and championing prominent international artists such as Barbara Bloom[4] and the estates of Thornton Dial,[5] John Boskovich[6][7] and Mary Beth Edelson.[8]

History

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Emergence in Paris, France

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Before opening the gallery, the gallery's founder worked in New York City and Paris as an art critic, contributing regularly to international art magazines such as Artfoum and Frieze. Lewis was also a professor and completed a Ph.D. examining the career of Francis Picabia.[9][10] His academic background directly informs the programming of artists and artistry at the gallery, which, makes art-historical arguments on behalf of its represented emerging and established artists.[11][12] During this time, Lewis published extensively, including essays on Guston, Sturtevant, and Matisse and he continued to publish after the gallery opened, including a review of the MoMA Picabia exhibition for Artforum and an essay on the history of cinema for Chrissie Iles's Dreamlands exhibition at the Whitney.

Eldridge Street in New York

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From 2013 to 2020, David Lewis gallery was located on the fifth floor of 88 Eldridge Street. The gallery served as a central location for a group of emerging artists. For some of these artists, like Thornton Dial, the gallery built a critical and commercial legacy for them, who, despite the artists achievements that would lead to broad institutional acclaim. Beginning with the Philip K. Dick inspired A Scanner, Darkly,[13][14] the gallery ethos articulated a distinct pattern of experimental voices and exhibitions, including Lucy Dodd whose institutional exhibition included the Whitney Museum's 2016, Open Plan,[15] and Dawn Kasper, whose Nomadic Studio Practice culminated at the Sala Chini at the 2017 Venice Biennale.[16]

In the following years, the gallery began representing historically established artists such as Barbara Bloom and the estates of Thornton Dial, John Boskovich and Mary Beth Edelson.[17] Some of these artists, like Thornton Dial, the gallery built a critical and commercial legacy for them who, despite the artists' achievements, had previously been excluded from art history and the art market.[18] David Lewis successfully created a reception and a market for Thornton Dial in the contemporary art world (rather than as an 'outsider' or 'self-taught'), changing Thornton Dial's place in the canon of contemporary art.[19] David Lewis was the first to garner Thornton Dial reviews by significant contemporary critics such as Roberta Smith, the first to exhibit Thornton Dial at contemporary art fairs, the first to bring Thornton Dial to Art Basel and to Europe.[20]

Tribeca

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In September 2021, David Lewis relocated to 57 Walker Street in Tribeca, opening with an exhibition of Todd Gray.[21] The gallery's programming continues to focus on both historical and contemporary art, with Thornton Dial, in conversation with David Hammons and Robert Rauschenberg in 'Dial / Hammons / Rauschenberg', Claire Lehmann's debut solo exhibition, and Peter Schlesinger.

The gallery also opened a second location in East Hampton, exhibiting Thornton Dial, Barbara Bloom, Tomás Esson, Todd Gray, and Peter Schelsinger in its first season.

In May of 2024, the gallery announced it would close after a decade in operation. Its last show was called, "Everyone Loves Picabia,” a nod to the painter and writer Francis Picabia's love for composing with circles.[22] The gallery joins a list of important contemporary art galleries in Manhattan closing its doors in 2024, including Washburn Gallery and Marlborough Gallery, as well as several younger enterprises—including Foxy Production, Queer Thoughts, and JTT.

References

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  1. ^ "David Lewis | Galleries | Frieze". www.frieze.com. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  2. ^ "David Lewis". Art Basel. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  3. ^ "David Lewis Gallery — Web Design for Art Galleries — Lovably". www.lovably.com. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  4. ^ Greenberger, Alex (November 21, 2016). "David Lewis Gallery Now Represents Barbara Bloom". ARTnews.com. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  5. ^ ARTnews, The Editors of (February 28, 2018). "Thornton Dial at David Lewis, New York". ARTnews.com. Retrieved April 22, 2023. {{cite web}}: |first= has generic name (help)
  6. ^ Berardini, Andrew (March 2020). "ANDREW BERARDINI ON JOHN BOSKOVICH'S BOSKOSTUDIO, 1996–2006". www.artforum.com. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  7. ^ Pagel, David (December 28, 2019). "Review: Welcome to 'Psycho Salon.' John Boskovich dives deep into the pain of a misfit". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  8. ^ Greenberger, Alex (May 17, 2021). "Mary Beth Edelson, Feminist Artist Who Envisioned Women as Goddesses, Has Died at 88". ARTnews.com. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  9. ^ Lewis, David (April 2017). "David Lewis on Francis Picabia". www.artforum.com. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  10. ^ "title name". title name. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  11. ^ "David Lewis Gallery". W Magazine. March 25, 2014. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  12. ^ "David Lewis | Contemporary Art Gallery | PLATFORM". www.platformart.com. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  13. ^ Pechman, Ali (November 2013). "David Lewis". www.artforum.com. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  14. ^ "'A Scanner, Darkly' at David Lewis Gallery". Observer. October 22, 2013. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  15. ^ "Open Plan: Lucy Dodd". whitney.org. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  16. ^ Freeman, Nate (May 9, 2017). "Dawn Kasper Will Be Staying in the Giardini's Central Pavilion for Six Months". ARTnews.com. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  17. ^ Cotter, Holland; Smith, Roberta; Farago, Jason (December 4, 2020). "The Most Important Moments in Art in 2020". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  18. ^ Grimes, William (January 27, 2016). "Thornton Dial, Outsider Artist Whose Work Told of Black Life, Dies at 87". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  19. ^ Thomas, Alexandra M. (December 15, 2020). "Enter the Rich, Vibrant Worlds of Thornton Dial". Hyperallergic. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  20. ^ "Editors' Picks: 13 Events for Your Art Calendar This Week, From David Zwirner's Donald Judd Show to Thornton Dial at David Lewis". Artnet News. November 3, 2020. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  21. ^ Villa, Tessa Solomon,Angelica; Solomon, Tessa; Villa, Angelica (September 7, 2021). "ARTnews in Brief: 2021 Frieze Artist Award Goes to Sung Tieu—and More from September 10, 2021". ARTnews.com. Retrieved April 22, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  22. ^ Solomon, Tessa (May 24, 2024). "Beloved New York Gallery David Lewis to Close After 11 Years". ARTnews.com. Retrieved May 30, 2024.

40°43′8″N 74°0′12″W / 40.71889°N 74.00333°W / 40.71889; -74.00333

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