David Zwirner
Encyclopedia
David Zwirner is a gallerist and art dealer and owner of the David Zwirner Gallery
in New York City. In 2010 Zwirner was listed at number four in the ArtReview
annual "Power 100" list.
record label. The son of art dealer Rudolph Zwirner, he was exposed to art at an early age, and soon moved from working with musical talent to visual artists. He also began to build his own art collection, acquiring works by Bernd and Hilla Becher
, Hanne Darboven
, and Dan Graham
. His first job in the States was with the art dealer Brooke Alexander.
neighborhood of New York City, with the intention of showcasing an international mix of contemporary artists. In its first year, the gallery sold out its Jason Rhoades
exhibition. This reception, along with a gallery expansion in 1994, contributed to the gallery’s early recognition. In 1994 the gallery presented the U.S. debut exhibition of Belgian painter Luc Tuymans
. Zwirner’s roster during this decade also included Raoul De Keyser
, Stan Douglas
, Marcel Dzama
, On Kawara
, Toba Khedoori
, The Estate of Gordon Matta-Clark
, John McCracken
, Raymond Pettibon
, Katy Schimert
, Yutaka Sone
, Diana Thater
, Franz West
, and Christopher Williams
.
had his U.S. debut exhibition at the gallery in 2000. In 2002, Zwirner moved his gallery from SoHo to Chelsea
, and in 2006 expanded into its current three main gallery spaces, which allowed multiple simultaneous exhibitions.
Other artists who joined the gallery in this decade included Adel Abdessemed
, Tomma Abts
, Francis Alÿs
, Mamma Andersson
, Michaël Borremans
, R. Crumb, Philip-Lorca diCorcia
, Marlene Dumas
, Suzan Frecon
, Isa Genzken
, Jockum Nordström
, Chris Ofili
, Daniel Richter
, Michael Riedel
, Thomas Ruff
, James Welling
, Yan Pei-Ming
, and Lisa Yuskavage
.
The gallery also announced its representation of a number of estates, including Dan Flavin
, Alice Neel
, Fred Sandback
, and Al Taylor.
From 2000 to 2009, David Zwirner also was a partner with Iwan Wirth
in Zwirner & Wirth, a gallery on New York's Upper East Side
which focused on private sales. The collaboration yielded a series of significant exhibitions, including Gerhard Richter: Early Paintings (2000); Bruce Nauman (2001); Cy Twombly: Letter of Resignation (2002/2003); Claes Oldenburg: Early Work (2005); David Hammons (2006); Joseph Beuys: Sculpture and Drawing (2007); and Dan Flavin: The 1964 Green Gallery Exhibition (2008).
’s work from May 6 to June 25, 2011. In October 2011, the gallery announced its representation of Carol Bove
in partnership with Maccarone
, New York.
The gallery maintains an extensive publishing program, collaborating with Steidl, Rizzoli, Radius Books, Aperture and others to produce exhibition catalogues, monographs, and artists' books.
joined with Zwirner to organize Artists For Haiti (Art Auction)
, an auction to raise funds for education and health programs for children. The auction took place at Christie's
in New York on September 22, 2011. It raised a total of $13,662,000, which was above the original estimate of $7.5 to $10.5 million.. One hundred percent of the sales will go to support non-profit organizations working in Haiti, including Architecture for Humanity
, J/P Haitian Relief Organization
, Partners in Health
, Grameen Creative Lab, Artists for Peace and Justice, Ciné Institute, and The Stiller Foundation.
In March 2011, Zwirner and fellow art dealer and parent Christopher D’Amelio organized the art donations for the Grace Church School
25th Annual Scholarship Benefit Auction.
In October 2006 and May 2008, Zwirner organized two charity art auctions, 826NYC Art Show - An Auction to Benefit Children's Literacy, which took place at his gallery. One hundred percent of the 2006 and 2008 proceeds went directly to 826NYC
, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting students ages 6-18 with their writing skills. A limited edition catalogue was published by McSweeney's
on the occasion of the 2006 auction. The catalogue reproduces twenty-two works of art alongside criticism by eight-year olds.
In 2001, Zwirner organized the "I Love NY Art Benefit" exhibition at the David Zwirner Gallery
to benefit the victims of the World Trade Center
attacks. A few days after 9/11, Zwirner asked artists who the gallery represented to donate works to the exhibition. He then called on the help of other New York dealers to organize their own benefit exhibitions. The initiative led to a citywide benefit with more than 150 participating galleries and alternative spaces. As with the exhibition at the David Zwirner Gallery
, all proceeds raised by the galleries benefited the Robin Hood Relief Fund, part of the Robin Hood Foundation
.
David Zwirner Gallery
David Zwirner Gallery is a contemporary art gallery in New York City owned by David Zwirner that is active in both the primary and secondary markets....
in New York City. In 2010 Zwirner was listed at number four in the ArtReview
ArtReview
-Publication:ArtReview covers established and emerging artists in a mixture of international exhibition reviews, artist profiles, city art tours and artist commissions, including artist projects published as supplements to the regular edition of the magazine...
annual "Power 100" list.
Early Life
Zwirner left Germany for the United States after high school and attended New York University. He studied music and performed as a jazz drummer. He returned to Germany and worked in Hamburg in A&R for an affiliate of the PolyGramPolyGram
PolyGram was the name of the major label recording company started by Philips from as a holding company for its music interests in 1945. In 1999 it was sold to Seagram and merged into Universal Music Group.-Hollandsche Decca Distributie , 1929-1950:...
record label. The son of art dealer Rudolph Zwirner, he was exposed to art at an early age, and soon moved from working with musical talent to visual artists. He also began to build his own art collection, acquiring works by Bernd and Hilla Becher
Bernd and Hilla Becher
Bernard "Bernd" Becher , and Hilla Becher, née Wobeser , were German artists working as a collaborative duo. They are best known for their extensive series of photographic images, or typologies, of industrial buildings and structures.- Biography :Bernd Becher was born in Siegen...
, Hanne Darboven
Hanne Darboven
Hanne Darboven was a German conceptual artist. She became best known for her large scale minimalist installations consisting of handwritten tables of numbers.-Early life and career:...
, and Dan Graham
Dan Graham
Dan Graham , is a conceptual artist now working out of New York City. He is an influential figure in the field of contemporary art, both a practitioner of conceptual art and an art critic and theorist. His art career began in 1964 when he moved to New York and opened the John Daniels Gallery....
. His first job in the States was with the art dealer Brooke Alexander.
1990s
In 1993, Zwirner opened his eponymous gallery in the SoHoSoHo
SoHo is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan, New York City, notable for being the location of many artists' lofts and art galleries, and also, more recently, for the wide variety of stores and shops ranging from trendy boutiques to outlets of upscale national and international chain stores...
neighborhood of New York City, with the intention of showcasing an international mix of contemporary artists. In its first year, the gallery sold out its Jason Rhoades
Jason Rhoades
Jason Rhoades was an installation artist who enjoyed critical acclaim, if not widespread public recognition, at the time of his death, and who was eulogized by some critics as one of the most significant artists of his generation...
exhibition. This reception, along with a gallery expansion in 1994, contributed to the gallery’s early recognition. In 1994 the gallery presented the U.S. debut exhibition of Belgian painter Luc Tuymans
Luc Tuymans
Luc Tuymans is a contemporary artist who lives and works in Antwerp, Belgium. Tuymans is considered one of the most influential painters working today. His signature figurative paintings transform mediated film, television, and print sources into examinations of history and memory.-Life:Tuymans...
. Zwirner’s roster during this decade also included Raoul De Keyser
Raoul De Keyser
Raoul De Keyser is a Belgian painter, who lives and works in Deinze, Belgium.-Work:De Keyser creates abstract paintings and works on paper...
, Stan Douglas
Stan Douglas
Stan Douglas is an artist based in Vancouver, British Columbia. He has exhibited internationally, including Documenta IX, 1992, Documenta X, 1997, Documenta XI, 2002 and the Venice Biennale in 1990, 2001 and 2005...
, Marcel Dzama
Marcel Dzama
Marcel Dzama is a contemporary artist who lives and works in New York. His work has been exhibited internationally, in particular his ink and watercolor drawings.-Range of practice:...
, On Kawara
On Kawara
is a Japanese conceptual artist living in New York City since 1965. He has shown in many solo and group exhibitions, including the Venice Biennale in 1976.-Early life:After graduating from Kariya High School in 1951, Kawara moved to Tokyo...
, Toba Khedoori
Toba Khedoori
Toba Khedoori is an Australian-born artist of Iraqi heritage, known primarily for highly-detailed mixed-media paintings executed on large sheets of wax-coated paper. Khedoori's works often fill the spectator's entire field of vision; a 'typical' Khedoori painting combines elements of drawing,...
, The Estate of Gordon Matta-Clark
Gordon Matta-Clark
Gordon Matta-Clark was an American artist best known for his site-specific artworks he made in the 1970s. He is famous for his "building cuts," a series of works in abandoned buildings in which he variously removed sections of floors, ceilings, and walls.-Life and work:Both of Gordon Matta-Clark's...
, John McCracken
John McCracken
John Harvey McCracken was a contemporary artist who lived and worked in Santa Fe, New Mexico and New York.- Education/teaching :...
, Raymond Pettibon
Raymond Pettibon
Raymond Pettibon is an American artist who currently lives and works in Venice Beach, California.-Early life:...
, Katy Schimert
Katy Schimert
Katy Schimert is an artist living and working in New York. She is represented by David Zwirner, New York.Schimert received her B.A. from the Philadelphia College of Art in 1985 and her M.F.A...
, Yutaka Sone
Yutaka Sone
Yutaka Sone is a contemporary artist who lives and works in Los Angeles. He is represented by David Zwirner, New York.-Work :...
, Diana Thater
Diana Thater
Diana Thater is an American artist, curator, writer, and educator. She has been a pioneering creator of film, video, and installation art since the early 1990s...
, Franz West
Franz West
Franz West is an Austrian artist.-Work:His art practice started as a reaction to the Viennese Actionism movement has been exhibited in museums and galleries for more than three decades...
, and Christopher Williams
Christopher Williams (artist)
Christopher Williams is an American conceptual artist and fine art photographer. He is represented by David Zwirner, New York.-Academic career:Williams graduated from Grinnell College...
.
2000s
The Leipzig painter Neo RauchNeo Rauch
Neo Rauch is a German artist whose paintings mine the intersection of his personal history with the politics of industrial alienation. His work reflects the influence of socialist realism, and owes a debt to Surrealists Giorgio de Chirico and René Magritte, although Rauch hesitates to align...
had his U.S. debut exhibition at the gallery in 2000. In 2002, Zwirner moved his gallery from SoHo to Chelsea
Chelsea, Manhattan
Chelsea is a neighborhood on the West Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City. The district's boundaries are roughly 14th Street to the south, 30th Street to the north, the western boundary of the Ladies' Mile Historic District – which lies between the Avenue of the Americas and...
, and in 2006 expanded into its current three main gallery spaces, which allowed multiple simultaneous exhibitions.
Other artists who joined the gallery in this decade included Adel Abdessemed
Adel Abdessemed
Adel Abdessemed is a conceptual artist who lives and works in Paris, France. He is represented by David Zwirner, New York and Dvir Gallery, Tel Aviv....
, Tomma Abts
Tomma Abts
Tomma Abts is a German-born abstract painter who won the Turner Prize in 2006.-Early life:Abts was born in Kiel in Germany and currently lives and works in London, England.-Work:...
, Francis Alÿs
Francis Alÿs
Francis Alÿs is a Belgian artist. His work emerges in the interdisciplinary space of art, architecture, and social practice. After leaving behind his formal training as an architect and relocated to Mexico City, he has created a diverse body of artwork that explores urbanity, spatial justice, and...
, Mamma Andersson
Mamma Andersson
Mamma Andersson is a contemporary artist based in Stockholm. She is represented by Galleri Magnus Karlsson, Stockholm, Stephen Friedman Gallery, London and David Zwirner, New York. She is one of Sweden's most internationally famous artists...
, Michaël Borremans
Michaël Borremans
Michaël Borremans is a Belgian painter and filmmaker who lives and works in Ghent. His painting technique draws on 18th century art as well as the works of Édouard Manet and Degas. The artist also cites the Spanish court painter Diego Velázquez as an important influence...
, R. Crumb, Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Philip-Lorca diCorcia
Philip-Lorca diCorcia is an American photographer. He studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Afterwards diCorcia attended Yale University where he received a Master of Fine Arts in Photography in 1979. He now lives and works in New York, and teaches at Yale University in New...
, Marlene Dumas
Marlene Dumas
Marlene Dumas is a South African born artist and painter who lives and works in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Stressing both the physical reality of the human body and its psychological value, Dumas tends...
, Suzan Frecon
Suzan Frecon
Suzan Frecon is a contemporary artist who lives and works in New York. She is represented by Lawrence Markey, San Antonio and David Zwirner, New York....
, Isa Genzken
Isa Genzken
Isa Genzken is a contemporary artist who lives and works in Berlin.-Education:Genzken studied fine arts and art history at the Hamburg University of Fine Arts from 1969–1971, the Berlin University of the Arts from 1971–1973, and Arts Academy Düsseldorf from 1973-1977. Genzken married German visual...
, Jockum Nordström
Jockum Nordstrom
Jockum Nordström is a Swedish artist, best known for his vivid collages, but also for his drawings, paintings and work as an illustrator.-Biography:Jockum Nordström was born December 19, 1963 in Sweden in a family with two brothers and one sister...
, Chris Ofili
Chris Ofili
Chris Ofili is a Turner Prize winning British painter best known for artworks referencing aspects of his Nigerian heritage, particularly his incorporation of elephant dung. He was one of the Young British Artists, and is now based in Trinidad.-Early life:Ofilli was born in Manchester. He had a...
, Daniel Richter
Daniel Richter
Daniel Richter is a German artist based in Berlin and Hamburg. He attended Hochschule für bildendende Künste Hamburg from 1991-1995.- Life and work :...
, Michael Riedel
Michael Riedel
Michael Riedel is a contemporary artist who lives and works in Frankfurt.-Work :Michael Riedel is known for his conceptual practice of restaging prior events and re-presenting existing texts, objects and audio recordings...
, Thomas Ruff
Thomas Ruff
Thomas Ruff is an internationally renowned German photographer who lives and works in Düsseldorf.-Life:...
, James Welling
James Welling
James Welling earned both a BFA and an MFA at California Institute of the Arts in Valencia , where he studied with, among others, Dan Graham. He emerged in the 1970s as an artist for whom photographic norms and the representational field itself were and remain contested and problematized...
, Yan Pei-Ming
Yan Pei-Ming
Yan Pei-Ming is a Chinese painter born in 1960 in Shanghai. Since 1982 he has lived in Dijon, France. His most famous paintings are "epic-sized" portraits of Mao Zedong worked out in black and white or red and white...
, and Lisa Yuskavage
Lisa Yuskavage
Lisa Yuskavage is a contemporary American painter who lives and works in New York City. Her figurative oil painting is known for its engagement with the female form. Her name is pronounced yus-CAH-vitch....
.
The gallery also announced its representation of a number of estates, including Dan Flavin
Dan Flavin
Dan Flavin was an American minimalist artist famous for creating sculptural objects and installations from commercially available fluorescent light fixtures.-Early life and career:...
, Alice Neel
Alice Neel
Alice Neel was an American artist known for her oil on canvas portraits of friends, family, lovers, poets, artists and strangers...
, Fred Sandback
Fred Sandback
Fred Sandback was a minimalist conceptual-based sculptor known for his yarn sculptures, drawings, and prints.-Life and work:...
, and Al Taylor.
From 2000 to 2009, David Zwirner also was a partner with Iwan Wirth
Iwan Wirth
Iwan Wirth is a Swiss contemporary art dealer and gallery owner. President of Hauser & Wirth Zürich London New York, he started selling artworks as a seven year-old and opened his first gallery while still a schoolboy in St. Gallen in 1986....
in Zwirner & Wirth, a gallery on New York's Upper East Side
Upper East Side
The Upper East Side is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, between Central Park and the East River. The Upper East Side lies within an area bounded by 59th Street to 96th Street, and the East River to Fifth Avenue-Central Park...
which focused on private sales. The collaboration yielded a series of significant exhibitions, including Gerhard Richter: Early Paintings (2000); Bruce Nauman (2001); Cy Twombly: Letter of Resignation (2002/2003); Claes Oldenburg: Early Work (2005); David Hammons (2006); Joseph Beuys: Sculpture and Drawing (2007); and Dan Flavin: The 1964 Green Gallery Exhibition (2008).
2010s and Current Activity
In October 2010, the gallery announced its exclusive representation of Judd Foundation. The gallery presented its first exhibition of Donald JuddDonald Judd
Donald Clarence Judd was an American artist associated with minimalism . In his work, Judd sought autonomy and clarity for the constructed object and the space created by it, ultimately achieving a rigorously democratic presentation without compositional hierarchy...
’s work from May 6 to June 25, 2011. In October 2011, the gallery announced its representation of Carol Bove
Carol Bove
Carol Bove is a New York City based artist and collector.Her work includes drawings and installations which concern the social, political, and artistic movements of the 1960s and 1970s...
in partnership with Maccarone
Maccarone
Maccarone may refer to people with the surname Maccarone:* Angelina Maccarone, German film director and writer* Juan Carlos Maccarone, Argentine Roman Catholic bishop* Massimo Maccarone, Italian footballer...
, New York.
The gallery maintains an extensive publishing program, collaborating with Steidl, Rizzoli, Radius Books, Aperture and others to produce exhibition catalogues, monographs, and artists' books.
Philanthropy
In April 2011, actor, director, and philanthropist Ben StillerBen Stiller
Benjamin Edward "Ben" Stiller is an American comedian, actor, writer, film director, and producer. He is the son of veteran comedians and actors Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara....
joined with Zwirner to organize Artists For Haiti (Art Auction)
Artists For Haiti (Art Auction)
Artists For Haiti is an art auction dedicated to raising money for education and health programs for children in Haiti. The auction, organized by Ben Stiller and art dealer David Zwirner, took place at Christie's in New York on September 22, 2011....
, an auction to raise funds for education and health programs for children. The auction took place at Christie's
Christie's
Christie's is an art business and a fine arts auction house.- History :The official company literature states that founder James Christie conducted the first sale in London, England, on 5 December 1766, and the earliest auction catalogue the company retains is from December 1766...
in New York on September 22, 2011. It raised a total of $13,662,000, which was above the original estimate of $7.5 to $10.5 million.. One hundred percent of the sales will go to support non-profit organizations working in Haiti, including Architecture for Humanity
Architecture for Humanity
Architecture for Humanity is a charitable organization that seeks architectural solutions to humanitarian crises and brings professional design services to communities in need...
, J/P Haitian Relief Organization
J/P Haitian Relief Organization
J/P Haitian Relief Organization is a non-profit organization founded by the American actor Sean Penn in response to the January 12, 2010 earthquake in Haiti...
, Partners in Health
Partners In Health
Partners In Health is a Boston, Massachusetts-based non-profit health care organization dedicated to providing a "preferential option for the poor". It was founded in 1987 by Dr. Paul Farmer, Ophelia Dahl, Thomas J. White, Todd McCormack, and Dr...
, Grameen Creative Lab, Artists for Peace and Justice, Ciné Institute, and The Stiller Foundation.
In March 2011, Zwirner and fellow art dealer and parent Christopher D’Amelio organized the art donations for the Grace Church School
Grace Church School
Grace Church School at 86 Fourth Avenue between East 10th and 12th Streets in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, was founded in 1894 by Grace Church as the first choir boarding school in New York City. The day school began in 1934....
25th Annual Scholarship Benefit Auction.
In October 2006 and May 2008, Zwirner organized two charity art auctions, 826NYC Art Show - An Auction to Benefit Children's Literacy, which took place at his gallery. One hundred percent of the 2006 and 2008 proceeds went directly to 826NYC
826nyc
826NYC is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting students ages 6 to 18 with their creative and expository writing skills, and to helping teachers inspire their students to write...
, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting students ages 6-18 with their writing skills. A limited edition catalogue was published by McSweeney's
McSweeney's
McSweeney's is an American publishing house founded by editor Dave Eggers.Apart from its book list, McSweeney's is responsible for four regular publications: the quarterly literary journal,...
on the occasion of the 2006 auction. The catalogue reproduces twenty-two works of art alongside criticism by eight-year olds.
In 2001, Zwirner organized the "I Love NY Art Benefit" exhibition at the David Zwirner Gallery
David Zwirner Gallery
David Zwirner Gallery is a contemporary art gallery in New York City owned by David Zwirner that is active in both the primary and secondary markets....
to benefit the victims of the World Trade Center
World Trade Center
The original World Trade Center was a complex with seven buildings featuring landmark twin towers in Lower Manhattan, New York City, United States. The complex opened on April 4, 1973, and was destroyed in 2001 during the September 11 attacks. The site is currently being rebuilt with five new...
attacks. A few days after 9/11, Zwirner asked artists who the gallery represented to donate works to the exhibition. He then called on the help of other New York dealers to organize their own benefit exhibitions. The initiative led to a citywide benefit with more than 150 participating galleries and alternative spaces. As with the exhibition at the David Zwirner Gallery
David Zwirner Gallery
David Zwirner Gallery is a contemporary art gallery in New York City owned by David Zwirner that is active in both the primary and secondary markets....
, all proceeds raised by the galleries benefited the Robin Hood Relief Fund, part of the Robin Hood Foundation
Robin Hood Foundation
The Robin Hood Foundation is a charitable organization, which attempts to alleviate problems caused by poverty in New York, United States.-History:Founded in 1988, Robin Hood was the brainchild of hedge fund manager Paul Tudor Jones...
.