West Chelsea Galleries

Over the last decade, West Chelsea has metamorphosed into the new SoHo [1]. Dozens of galleries have moved into the neighborhood, turning it from a rather nondescript area into one of New York City [2]’s most exciting places. Even if you have little interest in contemporary art, it’s worth visiting some of the exhibition spaces for their architectural exuberance alone.

Most of the galleries are in the West 20s between 10th and 11th Avenues, with an especially large collection located along West 22nd, 25th, 26th and 29th Streets. Among them are such major names in the New York art world as PaceWildenstein (534 W. 25th St., between 10th and 11th Aves., 212/929-7000, www.pacewildenstein.com [3], 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Tues.–Sat.; also uptown), exhibiting works by the likes of Sol LeWitt and Julian Schnabel; the Paula Cooper Gallery (534 W. 21st St., between 10th and 11th Aves., 212/255-1105, www.paulacoopergallery.com [4], 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Tues.–Sat.), representing such heavyweights as Jonathan Borofsky, Carl Andre, and Elizabeth Murray; and Barbara Gladstone (515 W. 24th St., 212/239-1181, www.gladstonegallery.com [5], 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Tues.–Sat.) specializing in painting, sculpture, and photography by established artists.

The enormous Gagosian Chelsea (555 W. 24th St., between 10th and 11th Aves., 212/741-1111, www.gagosian.com [6], 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Tues.–Sat.; also uptown) is dedicated to artists such as Andy Warhol, Richard Serra, and David Salle, while British expatriate Sean Kelly (528 W. 29th St., between 10th and 11th Aves., 212/239-1181, www.skny.com [7], 11 a.m.–6 p.m. Tues.–Fri., 10 a.m.–6 p.m. Sat.) focuses on conceptual art.

To find out more about the galleries, or about who’s exhibiting where, pick up a copy of Art Now Gallery Guide, available in many bookstores and galleries. Or, check the listings in Time Out New York.