Stable Gallery
| Company type | Art gallery |
|---|---|
| Industry | Contemporary art |
| Founded | 1953 |
| Founder | Eleanor Ward |
| Defunct | 1970 |
| Headquarters | New York City , United States |
Area served | New York City, United States |
Key people | Eleanor Ward |
The Stable Gallery, initially situated on West 58th Street in New York City, was established in 1953 by Eleanor Ward. It became known for presenting early solo exhibitions in New York for artists including Marisol Escobar, Robert Indiana, and Andy Warhol.
History
The gallery derived its name from its first site, a former livery stable, where it originally sold mannequins and displayed fashion photography. With backing from influential figures such as Christian Dior, by the mid-1950s the Stable Gallery began an annual exhibition honoring the “9th Street Art Exhibition” of 1951. This tribute featured prominent Abstract Expressionist painters like Willem de Kooning, Phillip Guston, Franz Kline, Robert Motherwell, Jackson Pollock, and Robert Rauschenberg. Known as the "Stable Annual," this exhibition series became a vital showcase for the New York School abstract expressionists throughout the 1950s.
Artists featured in every Stable Annual from 1953 to 1957
- Olga Albizu (1924-2005)
- William Baziotes (1912–1963)
- Gandy Brodie (1924-1975)
- James Brooks (1906–1992)
- Varujan Boghosian (1927–present)
- Louise Bourgeois (1911–2010)
- Fritz Bultman (1919–1985)
- Nicolas Carone (1917–2010)
- Giorgio Cavallon (1904–1989)
- Herman Cherry (1909–1992)
- Elaine de Kooning (1918–1989)
- Willem de Kooning (1904–1997)
- Enrico Donati (1909–2008)
- Friedel Dzubas (1915-1994)
- Fred Farr (1914–1973)
- John Ferren (1905–1970)
- Perle Fine (1908–1988)
- Helen Frankenthaler (1928–2011)
- Michael Goldberg (1924–2007)
- Robert Goodnough (1917–2010)
- Grace Hartigan (1922–2009)
- Raymond Hendler (1923–1998)
- Hans Hofmann (1880–1966)
- Angelo Ippolito (1922–2001)
- Howard Kanovitz (1929-2009)
- Earl Kerkam (1891–1965)
- Franz Kline (1910–1962)
- Albert Kotin (1907–1980)
- Lee Krasner (1908–1984)
- Ibram Lassaw (1913–2003)
Landes Lewitin (1892–1966)
- Linda Lindeberg (1915–1973)
- Conrad Marca-Relli (1913–2000)
- Marcia Marcus (1928)
- Nicholas Marsicano (1908–1991)
- Joan Mitchell (1925–1992)
- Robert Motherwell (1915–1991)
- Ray Parker (1922–1990)
Felix Pasilis (1922– )
- Vincent Pepi (1926-2020)
- Richard Pousette-Dart (1916–1992)
- Milton Resnick (1917–2004)
- James Rosati (1911–1988)
Ludwig Sander (1906–1975)
- Joop Sanders (1921-)
- Louis Schanker (1903–1981)
David Slivka (1914–2010)
- David Smith (1906–1965)
- Raymond P. Spillenger (1924–2013)
- Hedda Sterne (1910-2011)
- Yvonne Thomas (1913–2009)
- Esteban Vicente (1904–2001)
- Manoucher Yektai (1922–2019)
- Wilfrid Zogbaum (1915–1965)
- Audrey Flack (1931)
As Abstract Expressionism matured and new artistic trends like Pop art emerged in the 1960s, Eleanor Ward broadened the gallery’s scope beyond its original roster. She began exhibiting a wider range of artists from different styles, including figures such as Joseph Cornell, Varujan Boghosian, Edward Dugmore, Robert Engman, Marisol Escobar, John Ferren, Ian Hornak, Will Insley, Alex Katz, Conrad Marca-Relli, Joan Mitchell, Lowell Nesbitt, Isamu Noguchi, Larry Rivers, Leon Polk Smith, Richard Stankiewicz, Cy Twombly, Jack Tworkov, and Wilfred Zogbaum. A significant milestone was hosting the first solo exhibition of Andy Warhol in November 1962 after he was turned down by Leo Castelli. This show included eight of the twelve famous Marilyn Monroe portraits known as the “Flavor Marilyns,” each distinguished by a unique colored backdrop. Through these initiatives, Ward established the Stable Gallery as a leading venue for both rising talents and acclaimed contemporary artists.
In 1960, the gallery moved to 33 East 74th Street, New York, providing expanded exhibition areas along with residential space for Ward. The Stable Gallery ceased operations unexpectedly in 1970 when Ward chose to close it, disillusioned by the increasing commercialization of fine art and her declining enthusiasm for current artistic directions. She then shifted her focus to private art consultancy, feeling that gallery management had become more about business than passion.
General references
- Marika Herskovic, New York School Abstract Expressionists Artists Choice by Artists (New York School Press, 2000.) . pp. 10–39
External links
- Interview with Nicolas Carone at Brooklyn Rail
- Abstract Expressionism 1950s – Reminiscences from New York School Artists of the 9th St Show—YouTube video, duration 13:34
- 9th Street Art Exhibition – Memories from Abstract Expressionist Artists—YouTube video, length 9:27
- Nicolas Carone Discusses Abstract Expressionism and the 9th Street Art Exhibition—YouTube video, running time 10:00