From our March magazine, a roundup of recent openings on the Lower East Side:
Taittinger Gallery (154 Ludlow St., at Stanton Street) Richard Taittinger, whose great grandfather founded the Taittinger champagne empire, is debuting an art gallery in the former Living Room space on Ludlow Street. After a VIP reception last night, the inaugural show is opening tonight at 6 p.m. It’s titled “Sinthome” and is based on the theories of Jacques Lacan. The 5,000 square foot space will be dedicated to mid-career contemporary artists who are under-represented in this country. Taittinger told the New York Times that he chose the Lower East Side over Chelsea because he wanted to be “a big fish in a small pond.” The Living Room, the beloved music club, fled to Brooklyn after the building owner jacked up the rent.
Lindsey Thornburg (21 Orchard St. – at Canal Street) The bohemian-chic fashion designer has opened a new boutique on the Lower East Side. Back in 2006, Thornberg launched a collection of witchy cloaks from surplus Pendleton blankets. Today she offers a full line of ready-to-wear apparel. She is no stranger to the neighborhood. Thornberg was previously located on Stanton Street before a rent increase forced the closure of her original shop.
Bridget Donahue (99 Bowery – at Hester Street) The former director of Gavin Brown’s Enterprise has opened a large second-floor space overlooking the Bowery. The debut exhibition, which opened Feb. 19, features 73-year-old Lynn Hershman Leeson, a well-known mixed-media artist who explores the relationship between humans and technology. The show will be open until April 5. As the New York Times reported, Donahue “will champion artists of all kinds—older, under-the-radar, anti-establishment—who might otherwise get sidelined in Chinatown’s trend-heavy scene.”
Chapter NY (127 Henry St. – at Rutgers Street) An art gallery that was only open weekends has moved to a full-time schedule. Nicole Russo had been splitting her time between the Henry Street space and the Madison Avenue gallery, Mitchell-Innes & Nash. Now she’s striking out on her own with plans to expand the gallery’s artist roster slowly over time. The space is open Wednesday–Sunday from 11 a.m.–6 p.m.
East Village Wine & Liquors (80 Clinton St. – at Rivington Street) The long-established liquor store relocated from a space on Stanton Street to a stretch of Clinton likely to draw more foot traffic. The new store is smaller, but it’s freshly renovated. The shop stocks most popular liquor brands, as well as an affordable selection of domestic and foreign wines. They offer free delivery.
NIMBY’s rejoice! More galleries to sell art we can’t afford to people other than us.
“liquor store relocated from a space on Stanton Street
to a stretch of Clinton likely to draw more foot traffic” LOL actual reason is: they got evicted form Stanton location for not paying rent and violating lease agreement