LGDR, the central gallery formed jointly by dealers Dominique Lévy, Brett Gorvy, Amalia Dayan and Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn end of 2021opened the doors to a stunning new flagship gallery on East 64th Street.
The sprawling six-story Beaux-Arts townhouse was built in the early 1930s and in addition to being one of the oldest gallery buildings in New York, it was also the longtime home of the Wildenstein dynasty of art dealers.
The inaugural show, “Rear View”, is sure to cause a stir. It includes dozens of works of art spread over two floors by a dynamic mix of top-notch artists ranging from established masters such as Rene Magritte and Francis Bacon, to later stars such as Eric Fischl, Barkley Hendricks and Yoko Ono, to contemporary stars like Urs Fischer. , Jenna Gribbon, Jenny Saville and Issy Wood. All of the works explore the representation of the human figure seen from behind, including the many depictions of buttocks.
Installation view of “Rear View” at the LGDR with artwork by Jenny Saville Conjuncture (1994) (top) and Domenico Gnoli Back view (1968) (bottom). Photo: Jason Schmidt. Courtesy of LGDR.
Author Dieter Roelstraete, who wrote an essay on the exhibit for an accompanying zine, opened his remarks at the April 17 preview by acknowledging the often “humorous” nature of the exhibit. And in his essay, he wrote: “Back and Behind: It’s Cause for Joy Flipping through the ‘Rear View’ checklist has made me realize that in all my long years of looking and thinking about [Caspar David] At Friedrich’s RückenfigurenI had never seriously considered these photos of people seen from behind as photos of behind Also.”
Another author, Alison Gingeras, also contributed an essay aptly titled “Bad Asses.” It oscillates with a deep look at the seminal of Félix Valloton Butt study (c. 1884), chosen as the show’s background image, to butt-related jokes made by Chris Rock (“Show your ass!” he urged anyone looking for attention) in his recent comedy show Netflix stand-up, to Kim Kardashian’s famous “moneymaker”.
Installation view of “Rear View” at the LGDR, with Urs Fischer, Divine interventions (2023). Photo: Jason Schmidt. Courtesy of LGDR.
The show also includes a so-called “pendent” presentation in one piece, titled “Full Frontal” which features more explicit front-facing works by artists such as Miriam Cahn, Gribbon and Hendricks. “As the idiom of the title suggests, debates around moral property and censorship in art and popular culture often assign conflicting value to full face nudes,” according to a statement accompanying the show.
All four founding partners were on hand to kick off the show, with Lévy appearing to answer many of the “mission” questions that have swirled around the partnership since it was first announced in late 2021.
Noting that they were inundated with questions and rumors about the purpose of the partnership, she said they were previously “a bit homeless”, running separate gallery spaces, including Lévy Gorvy’s former home. at 909 Madison. There is also the massive downtown space revised by Rohatyn for Salon 94 Design and opened in Spring 2021, which just debuted with LGDR’s high-profile exhibition of the work of Marilyn Minter.
René Magritte, Without a family (1958). Picture by Andreas Zimmermann. Image courtesy of LGDR.
Lévy said it was important for the four of them to “create a home” and furthermore to choose a space that has a story, like the building on 64th Street does, noting that it was originally built as a gallery in 1932. Going forward, after the Minter exhibition, all LGDR projects will be housed in this new space, while Rohatyn will direct his separate projects at Salon 94 Design.
About the new exhibition, Lévy said it reflected “the unity of what we can do when we want to,” adding that making exhibitions is their passion. When it comes to deciding which works to include, she says, “it’s not about liking or disliking. It’s a conversation about what it elicits in terms of emotion and critical thinking.
Installation view of “Rear View” at the LGDR. Aristide Malliol, Draped flora (with flower garland) (1911) and Fernando Botero The bathroom (1989). PhotoJason Schmidt. Courtesy of LGDR.
In addition to conducting exhibitions, she also re-emphasized some of the early activities LGDR had highlighted at the time of its formation, including providing strategic services to collectors, artists, institutions, philanthropic organizations and private businesses. , including family offices.
“Rear View” can be viewed at LGDR, 19 East 64th Street, New York, through June 1.
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