ART GALLERIES
1.Gagosian
980 Madison Ave; Chelsea: 555 West 24th St & 522 West 21st St • Open 10am–6pm Tue–Sat • www.gagosian.comExpect big names and equivalent price tags at this blue-ribbon gallery with three locations (one uptown and two Chelsea addresses), each with the lofty spaces necessary for exhibiting large-scale art. Damien Hirst, Anselm Kiefer, Richard Serra, and Jeff Koons are among the contemporary artists represented.
Balloon Swan by Jeff Koons at the Gagosian gallery
2.Marlborough
40 West 57th St, Floor 2; Chelsea: 545 West 25th St • Open 10am–5:30pm Mon–Sat • www.marlboroughgallery.com 
This top-of-the-art-world gallery, representing the estates of artists including Larry Rivers, Red Grooms, and R. B. Kitaj, has opted for two locations. The midtown gallery has shown work by sculptors such as Anthony Caro and Jacques Lipchitz. New sculptures and paintings are found at the Chelsea location.
3.Mary Boone
541 West 24th St between 10th & 11th Aves; Uptown: 745 5th Ave • Open 10am–6pm Tue–Sat (by appointment only on Sat in summer) • www.maryboonegallery.com One of the art world’s big names has deserted SoHo for a sleek Chelsea gallery where the work on show still has a downtown edge and talented newcomers share space with established artists. Occasional intriguing group shows, assembled by independent curators, include sculpture, photography, and painting.
4.Pace
32 East 57th St, Floor 4; Chelsea: 508, 510, & 534 West 25th St • Open 10am–6pm Tue–Fri, 10am–6pm Sat • www.pacegallery.com/newyork Expect the likes of Picasso, Rothko, Chuck Close, or Agnes Martin at this ultra-prestigious gallery showing modern masters of the 20th and 21st centuries. At 57th Street the galleries are for photographs, prints, and fine art, while the gallery in Chelsea shows large-scale pieces.
5.Sperone Westwater
257 Bowery • Open 10am–6pm Tue–Sat • www.speronewestwater.com This is an excellent place to see some of the most creative contemporary art being produced today. The gallery was set up in 1975 to showcase European artists who had little recognition in the US. In 2010 it moved to a building designed by Foster + Partners. Exhibitions have included works by Bruce Nauman and Donald Judd.
6.The Drawing Center
35 Wooster St • Open noon–6pm Wed & Fri–Sun, noon–8pm Thu • closed Nov 25–6, Dec 24–Jan 1 • www.drawingcenter.org Formed in 1977 to promote the art of drawing, this non-profit center has displayed the drawings of more than 2,500 emerging artists, including the early work of Shahzia Sikander and Kara Walker, as well as the work of the Old Masters. The center also hosts monthly events, including book signings and panel discussions.
The Drawing Center
7.Apexart
291 Church St • Open 11am–6pm Tue–Sat • www.apexart.org Contemporary visual arts exhibitions, as well as public lectures, readings, children’s workshops, and innovative performances are on offer at this not-for-profit organization, which aims to promote cultural and intellectual diversity. Over 17,000 visitors pass through its doors each year to see the latest works by artists such as Dave Hickey, Martha Rosler, and David Byrne.
8.Matthew Marks
This was one of the first commercial galleries to open in Chelsea, in a converted garage in 1994. Matthew Marks specializes in displaying the work of big-name artists such as Ellsworth Kelly, Jasper Johns, Nan Goldin, and Brice Marden. Three other Chelsea locations show new works by painters, photographers, and sculptors (for further details see Matthew Marks).
9.Paula Cooper
Paula Cooper, the first gallery to open in SoHo in 1968, deserted the area in 1996 to move to Chelsea (for further details see Paula Cooper). There, the vast, creatively designed space filtering natural light through a cathedral ceiling is a superb setting for conceptual and minimalist art by Donald Judd, Sol Leitt, Sophie Calle, and others.
10.Paul Kasmin
Kasmin is the son of a bohemian London art dealer and continues the family tradition of taking chances on new artists. He usually features these artists in group shows. More established names, including those of sculptors and photographers, regularly appear here in solo exhibitions (for further details see Paul Kasmin).
Gallery shop, Paul Kasmin
