Looking at recent headlines, you could be excused for thinking the traditional dealer model is falling apart. Look a bit deeper, however, and New York galleries are alive with exhibitions commemorating anniversaries of a decade or more in business. The trend offers a heartening counterpoint to the earthquake afflicting the sector this year.
Pace Gallery has been hosting a series of exhibitions tied to its 65th birthday this year, most recently a group show in Geneva titled Pace: 65 Years (until 7 November). Arguably more encouraging than the longevity of that multicontinental empire are the milestone exhibitions by smaller galleries now based in a single city, if not a single space. Sperone Westwater on the Bowery rang in its 50th year with a show that opened on 5 September, as did Hal Bromm, whose group exhibition 50: The View From Tribeca runs until 29 November. Further uptown, the co-founders of the Chelsea dealership Albertz Benda have curated ten: an anniversary (until 18 October) to cap their tenth jubilee.
Established midway on the timeline between these galleries are three other veterans who have weathered market turbulence more than once. Jane Lombard, who launched her first gallery in 1995, is showing 30 x 30: A Selection of Thirty Artists Over Thirty Year, until 25 October.