Marianne Boesky Gallery

Marianne Boesky Gallery in Manhattan, New York by Deborah Berke & Partners Architects

Text and images are courtesy Deborah Berke & Partners Architects for their design of the Marianne Boesky Gallery in Manhattan; photography by Archphoto/Eduard Hueber.

Located in West Chelsea, the new 10,000 square foot building for the Marianne Boesky Gallery features two floors of gallery space, art preparation, administration spaces, as well as a caretaker's apartment.

The building's adjacency to the High Line, an abandoned elevated railroad that will soon become the city’s newest public greenway, mandates a setback at the second floor of the building along the shared property line. The result is the building's uniquely asymmetrical facade on the street.

The exterior's glazed white brick is supplemented by materials that are at home among the old warehouses, garages, and the elevated railroad that lend the neighborhood its industrial character. However the new building avoids using 'old' materials that might appear nostalgic or unauthentic for a new structure. The building’s brick, therefore, is an updated, more elegantly finished version of standard brick. Corrugated metal siding is used that has an unusually fine and delicate pattern, while the concrete block chosen has a smooth, ground face that lends subtle nuance to this inexpensive material.

The gallery's interior spaces are arranged in sequence to create a rich experience of discovery. From the entrance, a generous entry hall leads past the reception area and a private viewing room to the first gallery. Beyond, the building opens up to the main gallery, measuring 28 feet by 57 feet, its 18-foot ceiling punctuated by three large north-facing skylights.