Cindy Sherman’s historic New York gallery closes

No, it is not chromatic aberration. Much to the surprise of the art world, the iconic Metro Pictures Gallery in New York, which for years represented and exhibited the work of some of the most important artists and photographers of the late 20th century.^e and the beginning of the XXI^e century, announced earlier this week its intention to close its doors by the end of 2021.

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“After 40 years, a grueling year of programming carried out alongside the pandemic and the expected arrival of a very different artistic world, the founders and owners of the gallery, Janelle Reiring and Helene Winer, have decided that now is the right time. chosen to put an end to this adventure ”, a statement said.

If the context of the Covid-19 pandemic was an important underlying factor, it is not the cause of the upcoming closure of the gallery, which seems to be more of a diffuse feeling. “It’s a personal decision. The owners tend to die with their gallery, but we decided to do something else ”, Janelle Reiring said in an email sent to the American press. “A new generation with more energy will take charge of the future of the art world. And I’m not saying it in a negative way, I think it’s exciting. It’s just time for us to go ”, she completed in an interview with Artnet.

Sherman chez Hauser & Wirth

Founded in the Soho district in 1980 by Janelle Reiring and Helene Winer, the gallery has played a central role in the movement of Pictures Generation, by representing and exhibiting major artists of the late twentieth^e century, such as Cindy Sherman, Robert Longo or Sherrie Levine. The artistic movement – which had been the subject of a major retrospective at the Met in 2009 – developed in the years 1970-1980, from the breeding ground of disillusion that had followed the brief optimistic wave of the late 1960s. The gallery, which specialized in photography and video, moved in 1997 to the Chelsea district.

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If Metro Pictures should only close its doors “ towards the end of 2021 », The announcement was made at the end of winter to allow artists and gallery staff to calmly prepare for their transition to other horizons. The star revealed by the gallery, Cindy Sherman, has already signed with Hauser & Wirth, the gallery reported on Tuesday. “Cindy is already well established in the history of modern and contemporary American art, in large part thanks to the extraordinary work of Janelle Reiring and Helene Winer of Metro Pictures, her gallery since the early 1980s, said Marc Payot, President Hauser & Wirth. We are delighted to build on their achievements and present the artist’s work to an ever wider audience and new generations around the world. “

Despite the change of focus, Janelle Reiring for her part assured that she will remain engaged in the sphere of contemporary art. The news is no less heartbreaking for Cindy Sherman. “ It’s a sad day for the art world ”, simply slipped the artist on his Instagram account.

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