Hugo Gallery
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The Hugo Gallery was a
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
gallery, founded by Robert Rothschild,
Elizabeth Arden Elizabeth Arden (December 31, 1881 – October 18, 1966), also known as Elizabeth N. Graham, was a Canadian-American businesswoman who founded what is now Elizabeth Arden, Inc., and built a cosmetics empire in the United States. Backg ...
and Maria dei Principi Ruspoli Hugo between 1945 and 1955 and operated by Alexander Iolas. The Hugo gallery was initially on East 55th Street and Madison Avenue. When it first opened – on Thursday, November 15, 1945 – an extravagant party was held on the premises; an article by Edward Alden Jewell in the next morning’s Times reported on everything from the “first-rate” paintings to the sumptuous decorations, the work, he surmised, of “most of the florists in town”. The entire dance world, or so it seemed, turned out for the reception, surely less for the chance to contemplate paintings by
Chagall Marc Chagall (born Moishe Shagal; – 28 March 1985) was a Russian and French artist. An early modernism, modernist, he was associated with the School of Paris, École de Paris, as well as several major art movement, artistic styles and created ...
and
de Chirico Giuseppe Maria Alberto Giorgio de Chirico ( ; ; 10 July 1888 – 20 November 1978) was an Italian artist and writer born in Greece. In the years before World War I, he founded the art movement, which profoundly influenced the surrealists. His ...
than for an up-close view of Pavel Tchelitchew and
Tamara Toumanova Tamara Toumanova ( ka, თამარა თუმანოვა; 2 March 1919 – 29 May 1996) was a Russian-born Georgian-American prima ballerina and actress. A child of exiles in Paris after the Russian Revolution of 1917, she made her ...
.


Exhibitions

The gallery’s inaugural exhibition in November 1945, entitled “The Fantastic in Modern Art”, was organized by Charles Henri Ford and Parker Tyler, the editors of Surrealist magazine View. The Christmas show of 1945 called “The Poetic Theatre” included among others
Salvador Dalí Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol (11 May 190423 January 1989), known as Salvador Dalí ( ; ; ), was a Spanish Surrealism, surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, ...
, Pavel Tchelitchew and Joseph Cornell. In December 1946, Joseph Cornell had a solo exhibitions at the Hugo Gallery named "Romantic Museum at the Hugo Gallery: Portraits of Women by Joseph Cornell". For this exhibition Cornell conceived one of his most ambitious works, the untitled piece known as "''Penny Arcade Portrait of Lauren Bacall''". In 1947 the gallery hosted "Bloodflames 1947", a show organized by Nicolas Calas and designed by Frederick Kiesler which was the last collective manifestation of the
surrealist Surrealism is an art movement, art and cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists aimed to allow the unconscious mind to express itself, often resulting in the depiction of illogical or dreamlike s ...
exiles' group in New York. The exhibition included work by David Hare, Arshile Gorky, Roberto Matta and
Isamu Noguchi was an American artist, furniture designer and Landscape architecture, landscape architect whose career spanned six decades from the 1920s. Known for his sculpture and public artworks, Noguchi also designed stage sets for various Martha Grah ...
. In April 1947,
René Magritte René François Ghislain Magritte (; 21 November 1898 – 15 August 1967) was a Belgium, Belgian surrealist artist known for his depictions of familiar objects in unfamiliar, unexpected contexts, which often provoked questions about the nature ...
had an exhibition at the Hugo Gallery in New York. Magritte achieves international recognition, in large part, to Hugo Gallery. In 1952,
Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (;''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''"Warhol" born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director and producer. A leading figure in the pop art movement, Warhol ...
had his first solo exhibition at the Hugo Gallery named "Fifteen Drawings Based on the Writings of Truman Capote" (June 16 – July 3, 1952).Andy Warhol Biography
Gagosian Gallery In 1953, Jan Yoors, the Belgian-born artist working in tapestry, painting, sculpture, and photography, had one of his first New York solo exhibitions at the gallery. The director of the gallery was Alexander Iolas, assisted by David Mann. Alexander Iolas after working at the Hugo Gallery, founded the Jackson-Iolas Gallery in 1955 with former dancer, Brooks Jackson and later created a network of galleries under his own name. David Mann after working at the Hugo Gallery became the director of
Bodley Gallery The Bodley Gallery was an art gallery in New York City, from the late 1940s through the early 1980s. The Bodley specialized in contemporary art, contemporary and modern art. David Mann was director of the gallery during its heyday and Mr. and Mrs. ...
.


References


Sources


Andy Warhol and Hugo Gallery

René Magritte and Hugo Gallery

Smithsonian Archives of American Art - interview with Brooks Jackson, dealer
* Utopia Parkway: The Life And Work Of Joseph Cornell {{Authority control Contemporary art galleries in the United States American contemporary art Defunct art museums and galleries in Manhattan Art museums and galleries established in 1945 Art museums and galleries disestablished in 1955 1945 establishments in New York City 1955 disestablishments in New York (state)