Semaphore Gallery was a

contemporary art Contemporary art is the art of today, produced in the second half of the 20th century or in the 21st century. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a dynamic co ...

gallery founded by

Barry Blinderman Barry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Barry (name), including lists of people with the given name, nickname or surname, as well as fictional characters with the given name * Dancing Barry, stage name of Barry Richards (born c. 1950 ...

and A. James Shapiro in 1980 in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

, located at 462 West Broadway in the Soho district. In 1984, Semaphore East was also established on the corner of 10th and Avenue B in the East Village district of New York City. Semaphore East closed in 1986, and Semaphore Soho moved to 136 Greene Street, across from Leo Castelli. The gallery closed in the summer of 1987, when Blinderman accepted the position of Director at University Galleries of Illinois State University.

Name and history

Art dealer

Ivan Karp Ivan C. Karp (June 4, 1926 – June 28, 2012) was an American art dealer, gallerist and author instrumental in the emergence of pop art and the development of Manhattan's SoHo gallery district in the 1960s. Ivan Karp was born in the Bronx and gr ...

, who named Semaphore Gallery, was referring to the power of an image to "telegraph" meaning. Semaphore Gallery championed the work of Walter Robinson, Duncan Hannah, Robert Colescott, Martin Wong, Mimi Gross,

Raymond Pettibon Raymond Pettibon (born Raymond Ginn, June 16, 1957) is an American artist who lives and works in New York City. Pettibon came to prominence in the early 1980s in the southern California punk rock scene, creating posters and album art mainly for ...

, Bobby G,

Alexander Kosolapov Alexander Kosolapov (russian: Александр Семёнович Косолапов) (born January 1, 1943, in Moscow, Russia) is a Russian-American sculptor and painter. He immigrated to the United States in 1975 and has since lived and work ...

Futura 2000 Leonard Hilton McGurr (born November 17, 1955), known as Futura, and formerly known as Futura 2000, is an American graffiti artist. Biography He started to paint illegally on New York City's subway in the early 1970s, working with other artists ...

, Jane Dickson, Tseng Kwong Chi, Walter Steding, Cockrill/Judge Hughes,

Mike Bidlo Michael Bidlo (born 20 October 1953) is an American conceptual artist who employs painting, sculpture, drawing, performance, and other forms of "social sculpture." Early life and education Bidlo was born in Chicago, Illinois and studied at the ...

Nancy Dwyer Nancy Dwyer (born 1954) is an American contemporary artist whose works include paintings, works on paper, public art, word sculpture and furniture art. Her work has been exhibited widely at venues including the Whitney Museum of American Art, the ...

, and others. In 1981, Blinderman curated "The Anxious Figure," a seminal exhibition featuring Robert Colescott,

Robert Longo Robert Longo (born 1953) is an American artist, filmmaker, photographer and musician. Longo became first well known in the 1980s for his ''Men in the Cities'' drawing and print series, which depict sharply dressed men and women writhing in cont ...

Alice Neel Alice Neel (January 28, 1900 – October 13, 1984) was an American visual artist, who was known for her portraits depicting friends, family, lovers, poets, artists, and strangers. Her paintings have an expressionistic use of line and color, psy ...

, Jedd Garet,

John Ahearn John Ahearn (born 1951) is an American sculptor. He is best known for the public art and street art he made in South Bronx in the 1980s. Life and art Ahearn grew up in Binghamton, New York, with his twin brother Charlie Ahearn, who is a film ...

, Dan Freeman, Mark Schwartz, Mimi Gross, Gregg Smith, Mike Glier, Ed Paschke, Peter Dean, and

Keith Haring Keith Allen Haring (May 4, 1958 – February 16, 1990) was an American artist whose pop art emerged from the New York City graffiti subculture of the 1980s. His animated imagery has "become a widely recognized visual language". Much of his wor ...

. Semaphore East, directed by Annie Herron, hosted one-person exhibitions for Lady Pink, Lori Taschler,

, Ellen Berkenblit, Janet McKiernan, Robert Colescott,

Mark Kostabi Kalev Mark Kostabi (born November 27, 1960) is an American artist and composer. Early life Kostabi was born in Los Angeles on November 27, 1960, to Estonian immigrants Kaljo and Rita Kostabi. He was raised in Whittier, California and studied ...

, Felix Pène du Bois, Daryl Trivieri,

Bobby G Bobby G (also known as Bobby Gee) (born Robert Alan Gubby, 23 August 1953) is a member of pop group Bucks Fizz, best known for winning the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest and for achieving three UK number one hits with "Making Your Mind Up" (1981 ...

, and other artists.
New York in the 80s: Selections from the Barry Blinderman Collection Additional artists who had one-person exhibitions at Semaphore include: Walter Steding, Valentina Dubasky, Michael Ross, Dan Freeman, John Fekner, Dan Witz, Philip Ayers, Louise Sloane, Leonid Sokov, and David Prentice.

References

{{reflist Organizations established in 1980 Chelsea, Manhattan Defunct art museums and galleries in Manhattan 1980 establishments in New York City American art dealers Contemporary art galleries in the United States

Name and history

See also

References