In the previous gallery season that lasted Sept. 2012 – June 2013, I was less than impressed with Upper East Side gallery exhibits, so I ended up offering a total of just 2 tours there the whole 10 months.  It seemed that the U.E.S. galleries were in decline.  Not that there were fewer galleries there, or galleries mounting fewer shows, just that their shows were more often than not lackluster.  Well, in the current season that began in Sept. 2013, and is just 5 months along, I’ve already scheduled THREE Upper East Side gallery tours, each tour showing completely different exhibits, with the 3rd one happening this Sat. Feb. 1 at 1:00 PM.  It’s practically a resurrection!

To be clear, the Upper East Side is neither my favorite gallery neighborhood – that would be Chelsea – nor even my second favorite, which is the Lower East Side.  But when the U.E.S. galleries are cooking, they get to be a close second, and that’s what is happening now.  Highlights of my Feb. 1 tour include the debut of an Iranian artist who makes breathtakingly serene large-scale paintings, and a young German artist’s sculptures and installations that use unconventional materials in the most imaginative way I’ve encountered this season anywhere, plus 5 other very good shows for a total of 7 exhibits.

I don’t know why there was such a dip in quality last season, and a resurgence in quality now.  One partial factor is the opening of a brand new U.E.S. gallery (the one showing the “imaginative” exhibit I mentioned above) that has had one exceptional exhibit after another.  But one gallery does not a tour make, and I can’t explain the overall improvement there.  Maybe last season was simply a fluke, and things are simply back to normal.

One thing I love about the Upper East Side is the gallery spaces themselves, most of them situated in ultra-wealthy townhouses, and there will be plenty of those on Saturday’s tour.  Chelsea and the Lower East Side have a bit of competition this year.

Rafael Risemberg, Ph.D., Director
New York Gallery Tours