ACA Galleries

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ACA Galleries
ACA Galleries
Established1932;94 years ago (1932)
LocationChelsea, New York City
Coordinates 40°44′46″N74°00′20″W / 40.746°N 74.0056°W / 40.746; -74.0056
Type Art gallery
FounderHerman Baron, Stuart Davis, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, and Adolf Dehn [1]
Website www.acagalleries.com

ACA Galleries is a New York City-based art gallery founded in 1932 by Herman Baron, Stuart Davis, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, and Adolf Dehn. [2] ACA Galleries is recognized as a pioneer in exhibiting contemporary American art by African Americans, minorities, and women artists. [3]

Contents

History

1930s

In 1932, Herman Baron opened the first iteration of A.C.A. Gallery at 1269 Madison Avenue. [4] Originally named American Contemporary Art Galleries, ACA Galleries was founded during the Great Depression and focused on showing art from the Social Realism movement. [2] Social Realist artists featured at ACA included Raphael and Moses Soyer, Adolf Dehn, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, and William Gropper. [3] The gallery also showcased works by American Modernists, such as Stuart Davis, Rockwell Kent, Max Weber, and Otto Soglow.[ citation needed ]

In 1935, the ACA Galleries and Herman Baron hosted the first meeting of the American Artists' Congress. [2] By 1938 the gallery had moved to 52 West Eighth Street. [4]

1940s

ACA's exhibitions during the 1940s, featured works by artists including Philip Evergood and Phillip Reisman. [5] In 1942, the gallery presented Charles W. White's first solo exhibition. [2] In the 1940s, ACA faced criticism from Michigan congressman George A. Dondero, who accused the gallery of promoting an un-American vision. [2] ACA's Herman Baron countered Dondero's allegations in his essay "American Art Under Attack". [6]

1950s

ACA showcased Alice Neel's work from December 1950 to January 1951. [7] [8] In the late 1950s, Herman Baron's nephew, Sidney Bergen, joined the gallery. [4]

1960s

In 1960, ACA Galleries presented a four-person show of work by: Alice Neel, Jonah Kinigstein, Anthony Toney, Giacomo Porzano. [9] Upon Herman Baron's death in 1961, Sidney Bergen assumed the Directorship of ACA. [10]

1970s

During the 1970s, ACA's exhibitions featured African American artists such as Barkley L. Hendricks and Benny Andrews. [11] [12] Additionally, the gallery showcased works of sculpture and assemblage, including pieces by John Kearney and Joseph Cornell. [13] [14]

1990s

In the 1990s, ACA exhibited artists like African-American painter Richard Mayhew, who explored landscape themes through his Native American heritage, and painter/printmaker Wendy Mark, known for her abstract landscapes in monotype. [15] [16] The gallery also added Faith Ringgold to its program, showcasing her paintings, prints, books, tankas, and quilts that reference her activism and African-American heritage. [17] [18]

2000s

In the 21st century, ACA Galleries moved to Chelsea, New York City and expanded its programs under the leadership of Jeffrey Bergen, who took charge in 2001 following Sidney Bergen's death. [3] Exhibitions have featured Ilya Bolotowsky, [19] Sidney Goodman, [20] Irwin Kremen, [21] and DeLoss McGraw. [22]

2010s

In 2018, the gallery presented a memorial show of Richard Hambleton. [23] In 2018, the gallery presented a series of paintings by John Mellencamp. [24] In June 2019, Faith Ringgold, in collaboration with ACA Galleries, had her first international solo exhibition at London's Serpentine Galleries. [25] In 2019, the gallery presented a solo exhibition of Salvador Dalí, featuring etchings, tapestries and drawings from the Argillet Collection. [26] In 2019, the gallery presented a show by Bruce High Quality Foundation. [27]

2020s

In 2022, ACA Galleries presented a solo show by photorealist painter John Baeder. [28] [29] In 2023, the gallery presented a show by graffiti artist Phase 2. [30] [31] [32] In 2025, the gallery presented a show of Robert Graham Carter and Charles W. White. [33] In 2025, the gallery presented a show by Doowon Lee of artworks inspired by Pakistan. [34] In 2025, the gallery collaborated with The McEachern Art Center at Mercer University to present “Vaivén” featuring the work of artist Kandy Lopez. [35]

References

  1. ↑ "HERMAN BARON, ART PATRON, DIES; Founder of the ACA Gallery Started Careers of Many Painters in Depression". The New York Times . Jan 28, 1961.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Historical Note | ACA Galleries records, 1917-1963 | Digitized Collection | Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution". www.aaa.si.edu. Retrieved 2025-12-13.
  3. 1 2 3 Salvesen, Magda; Cousineau, Diane (2005). Artists' Estates: Reputations in Trust. Rutgers University Press. ISBN   978-0-8135-3604-0.
  4. 1 2 3 "Bennett Buck's Good Neighbor Policy: A Case of Mistaken Identity" (PDF). Getty Research Journal (20). Getty Research Institute: 52.
  5. ↑ "Philip Evergood | LACMA Collections". collections.lacma.org. Retrieved 2025-12-13.
  6. ↑ "Herman Baron papers, 1937-1967 | Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution". www.aaa.si.edu. Retrieved 2025-12-13.
  7. ↑ Catlin, Stanton L. (January 1951). "Reviews and Previews: Alice Neel's". ArtNews. 49 (9).
  8. ↑ "1960-1969". Alice Neel. Retrieved 2025-12-13.
  9. ↑ Campbell, Lawrence. (December 1960). "Reviews and Previews: Alice Neel, Jonah Kinigstein, Anthony Toney, Giacomo Porzano". ArtNews. 59 (8): 13–14.
  10. ↑ Oles, James (2025). "Bennett Buck's Good Neighbor Policy: A Case of Mistaken Identity". Getty Research Journal. 20 (1): 52–78. ISSN   2329-1249.
  11. ↑ Williams, Kyle (3 April 2022). "Benny Andrews: Looking for That". The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
  12. ↑ "Oral history interview with Barkley L. Hendricks, 2009 June 18 | Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution". www.aaa.si.edu. Retrieved 2025-12-13.
  13. ↑ "Oral history interview with John Kearney, 2009 Mar. 12-13 | Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution". www.aaa.si.edu. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
  14. ↑ Waldman, Diane; Cornell, Joseph (2006). Joseph Cornell: master of dreams (Paperback ed.). New York: Harry N. Abrams. ISBN   978-0-8109-9252-8.
  15. ↑ "Modern American Realism: The Sara Roby Foundation Collection | Smithsonian American Art Museum". americanart.si.edu. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
  16. ↑ "Wendy Mark - Artist". MacDowell. Retrieved 2025-12-13.
  17. ↑ English, Darby, and Charlotte Barat (2019). Among Others: Blackness at MoMA. The Museum of Modern Art.
  18. ↑ "Faith Ringgold | Street Story Quilt". The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
  19. ↑ "Ilya Bolotowsky | Smithsonian American Art Museum". americanart.si.edu. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
  20. ↑ Goodman, Sidney. "Sidney Goodman 'Recent Work'". www.artnet.fr. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
  21. ↑ Glueck, Grace (2004-04-02). "ART IN REVIEW; Irwin Kremen". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2023-06-23.
  22. ↑ McGraw, DeLoss. "Papers." Online Archive of California, University of California, San Diego, Special Collections and Archives. Accessed June 15, 2023. https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c8gq6n5n/.
  23. ↑ "A Memorial Exhibition at ACA Galleries Grapples with Richard Hambleton's Complex Legacy". Artnet News. 2018-09-27. Retrieved 2025-12-13.
  24. ↑ "Heartland Rocker John Mellencamp Shows a New Series Paintings in New York—See Them Here". Artnet News. 2018-05-28. Retrieved 2025-12-13.
  25. ↑ "Faith Ringgold". Serpentine Galleries. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
  26. ↑ Magazine, New York Latin Culture (2019-01-10). "Salvador Dali Spanish Art at ACA Galleries". New York Latin Culture Magazine®. Retrieved 2025-12-13.
  27. ↑ "In Its Latest Exhibition, Bruce High Quality Foundation Pulls the Plug on Western Art... Maybe?". Artnet News. 2019-06-05. Retrieved 2025-12-13.
  28. ↑ Felsenthal, Daniel (11 January 2023). "John Baeder at ACA Galleries". www.artforum.com. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
  29. ↑ Heller, Steven (2022-11-07). "The Daily Heller: John Baeder's American Idols". PRINT Magazine. Retrieved 2025-12-13.
  30. ↑ "Phase 2 Myth Conception: A Survey 1972-2019 at ACA Galleries". Whitehot Magazine of Contemporary Art. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
  31. ↑ "Phase II: Myth Conception - A Survey (1972 - 2019)". artguide.artforum.com. Retrieved 2025-12-13.
  32. ↑ "What to See in N.Y.C. Galleries in July". The New York Times. 2023-07-05. Archived from the original on 2025-09-22. Retrieved 2025-12-13.
  33. ↑ Valentine, Victoria L. (2025-04-12). "On View: 'Robert Carter and Charles White in Dialogue' Presents Moving Figurative Compositions at ACA Galleries in New York". Culture Type. Retrieved 2025-12-13.
  34. ↑ Scott, Chadd (2025-04-01). "Doowon Lee artworks inspired by Pakistan on view at ACA Galleries NYC". See Great Art. Retrieved 2025-12-13.
  35. ↑ Morrison, Julia (2025-02-06). "McEachern Art Center presents Afro-Caribbean figurative artist Kandy Lopez in "Vaivén"". The Den. Retrieved 2025-12-13.
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