10 Best Art Galleries in New York City

10 Best Art Galleries in New York City

art gallery by from Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP(Glasg) from Wikimedia Commons

New York is a hive of creative activity. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum are just a few of the city’s art institutions, which showcase some of the greatest artists from all over the world. With over 1000 galleries, you may see the freshest and greatest artists in all genres, from painting to sculpture, at any time.

The top galleries in New York City are located around Chelsea, although they may also be found in Brooklyn and Queens, as well as the Upper and Lower East Sides of Manhattan. You’ll find some of the top artists from across the world in NYC’s iconic art galleries.

What’s the best part? While you may not be able to afford a purchase, browsing these galleries and admiring incredible pieces of art is entirely free. And what if you’re motivated?

1. Hauser & Wirth New York

Iwan Wirth, Manuela Wirth, and Ursula Hauser formed Hauser & Wirth in 1992 in Zurich and were joined in 2000 by Partner and President Marc Payot, and CEO Ewan Venters in 2020. Hauser & Wirth, a family firm with a worldwide view, with locations in Hong Kong, London, New York, Southampton, Los Angeles, Somerset, Menorca, Monaco, Zurich, Gstaad, and St. Moritz, among others. Over 90 artists and estates are represented by Hauser & Wirth, who have shaped the gallery’s character over the last quarter-century and are the source of inspiration for the gallery’s varied range of initiatives in art, education, conservation, and sustainability.

Hauser & Wirth has earned a reputation for its commitment to artists and sponsorship of forward-thinking creative projects across the world. The gallery partners with famous curators to provide museum-quality assessments and spends significant resources in new studies and research, in addition to providing a dynamic calendar of shows. The gallery has hosted historically significant exhibitions since its inception.

The gallery has a limited number of seats available. There is no charge to enter. No reservations are required so you can visit at any time. 

2. Gagosian Gallery

Gagosian art gallery by Wpcpey from wikimedia commons

With 15 sites throughout the world, Larry Gagosian is the undisputed king of the gallery world. His huge (20,000-square-foot) expansion to 24th Street’s top-level galleries is at the centre of his company. It was opened in 1999 with a massive Richard Serra piece.

Since then, pieces by Ellen Gallagher, Damien Hirst, Anselm Kiefer, Ed Ruscha, Julian Schnabel, Andy Warhol, and a plethora of other prominent artists have been shown in exhibitions.

3. David Zwirner

David Zwirner gallery by from Wikimedia Commons

David Zwirner, a German immigrant, has built his gallery from a small room in Soho to a worldwide powerhouse with sites in London and Hong Kong, as well as uptown and downtown. His West 19th Street space hosts exhibitions by his roster of international contemporary artists, which includes luminaries like Marcel Dzama, Luc Tuymans, Chris Ofili, Neo Rauch, and Lisa Yuskavage.

A purpose-built gallery building on West 20th Street in Chelsea is dedicated to museum-quality shows of historical figures and movements, while his West 19th Street space hosts exhibitions by his roster of international contemporary artists, which includes luminaries like Marcel Dzama, Luc Tuymans, Chris Ofil In 2017, he launched a new location on East 69th Street in New York City.

4. Gladstone Gallery

Gladstone by Kerry Raymond from Wikimedia Commons

Gladstone Gallery is strictly blue-chip, with Matthew Barney, Sarah Lucas, and Anish Kapoor among the Conceptualist and daring artists represented. Gladstone is a prominent art-world player, with two sites in Chelsea, another on the Upper East Side, and a branch in Brussels, Belgium.

5. Greene Naftali

This gallery, which contains rooms on the ground level and the eighth floor of its building, has featured well-known artists such as Rachel Harrison, Paul Chan, and Peter Halley, and is noted for powerful group shows. Going upstairs is worth it for the wonderful light and spectacular birds-eye perspective of Hudson Yards and midtown.

6. Cavin-Morris Gallery

“Uniqueness, honesty, and sincerity” are the values that have distinguished the gallery’s program during its 30 years of existence, according to the gallery. Cavin-Morris has organized displays by modern ceramicists and featured indigenous artworks from Africa, Asia, the South Pacific, and the Americas, with a special focus on self-taught and visionary artists.

7. CLEARING

The Brooklyn branch of a gallery in Brussels, Belgium, with an all-caps name, concentrates on contemporary art by a worldwide roster of young rising artists with up-to-the-minute sensibilities, just like the home office. The gallery has opened a new space on the Upper East Side.

It presently represents 18 living artists, with several of them receiving their first gallery exhibitions, including Harold Ancart, Korakrit Arunanondchai, Chase Hall, Calvin Marcus, and Marina Pinsky. Eduardo Paolozzi, Bruno Gironcoli, and René Heyvaert have estates represented by the gallery. C L E A R I N G provides assistance to its artists by creating works, exhibitions, and books, as well as collaborating with public and private institutions.

8. Half Gallery

William Powers founded Half Gallery in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York City, in 2008. Half Gallery relocated to an Upper East Side home in 2013. Half Gallery most recently relocated to the culturally significant and dynamic East Village in 2020, between the Brant Foundation and Swiss Institute.

Ginny Casey, Daniel Heidkamp, Natalie Ball, Andrea Joyce Heimer, Anna Park, Young Lim Lee, Rene Ricard, Jantsankhorol Erdenbayar, and Hiejin Yoo are among the artists featured at Half Gallery.

9. Marianne Boesky Gallery

Marianne Boesky Gallery, which opened in Soho in 1996, relocated to Chelsea in 2005, taking up an attractive purpose-built facility immediately next to the High Line. Boesky re-consolidated her operation at her Chelsea shop, building an annex—Boesky East—next door, after opening and closing venues on both the Upper and Lower East Sides. In addition, she runs a studio in Aspen, Colorado.

Boesky has shown a mix of established, mid-career, and rising artists throughout her career, including high-profile names like Frank Stella and John Waters.

10. Michael Werner

Michael Werner, a prominent German art trader, opened his New York gallery in 1990 under the guidance of Gordon VeneKlasen. Michael Werner represents artists such as Marcel Broodthaers, James Lee Byars, Aaron Curry, Peter Doig, Thomas Houseago, Jörg Immendorff, Per Kirkeby, Eugène Leroy, Markus Lüpertz, A.R. Penck, Sigmar Polke, and Don Van Vliet. The gallery focuses on contemporary American and European painting, sculpture, and drawing, as well as works by modern masters such as Hans Ar

Why should you visit an art gallery? Art galleries come and go, many people believe that although the internet empowers artists, it also puts some galleries out of business. This isn’t always the case, though. Let’s hope that clever, user-friendly galleries continue to exist in the future. They are required by art dealers, artists, and ourselves, so if you can, take some time and visit the best art galleries in New York.