New York City's Bellwether Gallery To Shutter
Chelsea gallery Bellwether announced today that it will close this summer, after ten years of operation. This follows closely on the heels of the announcement that Charles Cowles will close his Chelsea gallery next month, after 30 years in business.
In an email from the proprietor, Becky Smith, she wrote, in part:
Owning the gallery for over ten years has been my great joy and honor. It was never easy but always thrilling to ride the waves of change that have washed over the artworld since the gallery opened. The name of the gallery has always been its intention, to be a leading indicator of future trends and movements in the artworld. I was proud to have been a part of the Williamsburg scene, the exodus to Chelsea, the dawn of the e-commerce era, the boom of the emerging market, the rise of the art fair imperative and the NADA generation. I always tried to have a distinct voice and point of view, represent as many women as possible, curate from my values and not my taste and get behind artists whose brilliance and concepts were apparent in their craft.
Meanwhile, it's been almost five years since you shut down your gallery. Ummm, party time? Or at least a self pat on the back for being prescient?
The quote you gave to Page Six at the time was a classic. "I hope Chelsea burns down." (Though the NYPost wants me to pay a small fee to verify that, so fuck it! It might have been said slightly differently. I'm not a real journalist.)
What does this mean?
Tragic. They will be missed.