My Skyscrapers gallery tour in Midtown on Sat. May 19 at 1:00 PM will include a Russian artist’s exhibit whose subject matter is BEYOND CONTROVERSIAL – buying or selling these works as other than art could land a person in JAIL!  These artworks also happen to be strikingly beautiful.  The tour’s 6 other stops will include wonderful all-new painting, sculpture, and photography shows.  There’s usually nothing in the Midtown galleries that is remotely controversial, as these galleries tend to be wealthy and conservatively safe in their tastes, unlike, say, the Lower East Side galleries, which take a lot of risks.  Therefore, this Midtown tour is an exciting exception.

This is my “vertical” gallery tour, with great views and world-class art, all visited in a total walk of just 2 blocks (by far the shortest walking distance on any of my tours).  The only other art experience on the planet I can compare it to is in one of Tokyo’s art neighborhoods, also in skyscrapers, but where the art is not nearly as high quality as in New York City’s Midtown.

There are a total of 12 buildings that house Midtown‘s 45 galleries.  The tour begins on 57th St. and Madison Ave. and ends practically a stone’s throw away on 57th St. between 5th & 6th Ave.  I suppose if you were to include the vertical distance that we travel, it may add up to the length of our typical Chelsea tour.  But you won’t be walking that full distance—rather, you’ll be “transported.”  And in more ways than one.

We’ll begin the tour in the Fuller Building, a 40-story art deco masterpiece that was erected in 1929.  The lower half of the building was designed specifically for art galleries, and 17 gallery spaces currently call this building home.  On any given week, only 1 of these 17 galleries show exhibits worthy enough for our tour, and so that’s how many I take my group to.  The standouts in this building are a number of galleries that specialize in contemporary photography.

A block away, near the corner of 57th St. and 5th Ave., are three buildings that house several elegant Midtown galleries.  Some of them have other branches in Chelsea or the Lower East Side, while others are one-of-a-kind.  You could spend all day exploring the galleries just near this corner.

And of course there’s much more in the skyscrapers art district to talk about, but it’s better seen live.  In particular the controversial but beautiful art we’ll see, that could be a once in a lifetime experience.

Rafael Risemberg, Ph.D.
Founder and Director
New York GalleryTours