As May ushers in spring, New York Art Week 2024 presents an opportunity to catch more than just flowers sprouting new leaves. While the Big Apple is preparing for an influx of major gallerists, artists, and collectors alike, there are plenty of new names to be watching for, too. Amid the bustling two weeks of fair activity, locals and guests alike are often lured by colossal fairs like Frieze and TEFAF, but the smaller fairs—Independent, Future Fair, NADA New York, and, this year, Esther—offer all-important space for emerging dealers, from brand-new galleries to those that are taking major steps into the New York limelight. Here, we highlight five small galleries exhibiting across the New York art fairs to keep an eye on.
Massey Klein Gallery, New York
The Lower East Side’s Massey Klein Gallery was established by the husband-and-wife team of Garrett Klein and Ryan Massey in 2018. The gallery is dedicated to uplifting the careers of mid-career and emerging artists, including several rising American painters such as Lydia Baker, Elise Ferguson, Nick McPhail, and Bethany Czarnecki. Its current exhibition, “Local Realism,” presents Los Angeles–based Ramiro Henandez’s translucent paintings, and is on view until May 11th.
For Future Fair, the gallery will debut new work by Dutch artist Martine Johanna. Johanna’s hyperrealistic paintings are characterized by dark, intense colors and surreal settings and feature semi-autobiographical women protagonists embodying independence and heroism.
