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There are roughly 500 art galleries in the city, and even if you have no intention of buying, many of these galleries are well worth seeing. Most galleries are found in five main areas: in the 60s and 70s on the Upper East Side for antiques and the occasional (minor) Old Master; 57th Street between Sixth and Park avenues for big, established modern and contemporary names; SoHo for established but hip artists; Chelsea for trendy and up-and-comers; and TriBeCa for more experimental displays.
Opening times are roughly Tues-Sat 10am-6pm, but many galleries have truncated summer hours and are closed during August. The best time to gallery-hop is on weekday afternoons; the absolute worst time is on Saturday .
One of the best ways to see the top galleries is with Art Tours of Manhattan, which runs informed (if pricey) guided tours. Also, pick up a copy of the Gallery Guide - available upon request in the larger galleries - for listings of current shows and each gallery's specialty. The weekly Time Out New York offers broad listings of the major commercial galleries. We've listed some of the more interesting options in Manhattan.
Soho and Tribeca
123 Watts 123 Watts St (between Greenwich and Hudson) tel 212/219-1482. Trendy gallery known for its photography, along with other forms of contemporary art; has shown work by Robert Mapplethorpe, Arturo Cuenca and Bruno Ulmer. ...
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Chelsea
Anima Nosei 530 W 22nd, 2nd floor (between 10th and 11th aves) tel 212/741-8695. Global works, especially contemporary pieces by emerging Latin American and Middle Eastern artists. Mon-Fri 11am-6pm. Barbara Gladstone...
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Midtown and Upper East Side
Knoedler & Co. 19 E 70th St (between 5th and Madison aves) tel 212/794-0550. Highly renowned gallery specializing in abstract and Pop artists and post-war and contemporary art with a focus on the New York School. Shows some of the...
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Spaces
The galleries below provide a forum for the kind of risky and non-commercially viable art that many other galleries - reliant on trying to get art into the hands of buyers - may not be able to afford to show. Artists Space 38 Greene St, 3rd...
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