There is no better venue for painting – even contemporary, cutting-edge painting – than the gorgeously finished rooms of the Upper East Side mansion galleries.  And you’ll be seeing plenty of both in my first Upper East Side gallery tour of the season, to take place Sat. Nov. 5 at 1:00 PM.

Paintings BELONG in these mansions, because before these spaces were converted to galleries, they were residences for the wealthy, who graced a good amount of artwork on their homes’ walls.  Unlike other gallery neighborhoods, where the current galleries were once industrial factories and warehouses (Chelsea) or mom-and-pop stores (Lower East Side), or office buildings (Midtown), the Upper East Side is and has always been primarily residential.  So even though, as with all New York galleries, the U.E.S. gallery exhibits change over ever 4 – 6 weeks, whatever the temporary show on display, it has the feel of being in its proper and permanent home.

The main (but not sole) focus of this week’s Upper East Side tour will be cutting-edge painting exhibits, with highlights including (1) the latest work by an American artist whose intriguing and original figurative paintings recently took up two entire floors at the New Museum of Contemporary Art, and (2) colorful, playful paintings by Britain’s most celebrated abstract artist.  And there will be much, much more on this 2-hour tour!

In case you’re expecting old artwork in these old and venerated buildings, think again.  Just about all the exhibits we visit will be brand new work, being shown to the public for the first time.  If the mansions’ walls could talk, I believe they would be expressing delight at the new colors, textures, flavors, and even a smattering of controversial images, that each new exhibit of paintings bring to the space.

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