Owner and Principal of Alexander Gray Associates in New York City and Germantown, Alexander Gray is an insightful and pioneering contemporary art gallerist, fiercely committed to bringing the most dynamic creatives of our time to the forefront. By representing interdisciplinary, barrier-breaking artists whose visceral imagination knows no bounds, Gray unveils socially and politically conscious exhibitions to a captivated global audience. During a bustling month of fairs cascading across the city, the visionary shares with Whitewall details on the gallery’s latest evocative presentation, where to stop in for stunning nearby exhibitions, and the best restaurant for winding down in the picturesque Hudson Valley.
Portrait of Alexander Gray.
WHITEWALL: Can you share what’s on view at the gallery this month?
ALEXANDER GRAY: We just opened our second solo exhibition in our new TriBeCa home—and couldn’t be more thrilled! After a successful inaugural show with Jennie C. Jones, we’re now surrounded by Ronny Quevedo’s powerful, new works. Here, Ronny gathers and distills research on Andean textiles and garments, bridging time and context through a lens of lineage and inheritance, displacement and reclamation. It’s truly outstanding how he brings together centuries of tradition through a more contemporary lens. These paper-based works materialize and weave together pre-Colonial history and post-Colonial present, enticing us with gold leaf, woven texture, and collaged graphic elements. Conceptual rigor and visual pleasure within frames in a gorgeous space—it is a joy to experience.
“We just opened our second solo exhibition in our new TriBeCa home—and couldn’t be more thrilled!” — Alexander Gray
WW: What are you looking forward to in New York in May—during the fairs? (Frieze, TFAF, Independent, 1-54, etc.)
AG: Well, I love a good gathering that focuses on artists. This Sunday, May 11, Dia will host their annual Spring luncheon in Beacon, where they will celebrate their 50th anniversary—quite the milestone. It’s the perfect time of the year, just when the Hudson Valley is starting to bloom. It is a soft landing after the fast pace of the City during art fair weeks.
WW: What do you have your eye on at the fairs? (Any particular booths/works other than your gallery’s?)
AG: An occupational hazard of exhibiting at Frieze while welcoming visitors at the Gallery is not being able to see everything! That said, I am always enthralled by the Focus section of Frieze New York—these platforms for younger and smaller galleries contribute greatly to the ecosystem, and are a critical pipeline for their development. Because of my love of socially-infused abstraction, I was thrilled to experience Maureen Gruben’s work with Toronto’s Cooper Cole, Charisse Pearlina Weston at Chicago’s PATRON, and Sara Chang Yan at Lisbon’s Madragoa.
WW: What are the exhibitions on your must-see list? (At galleries in the city)
AG: Teresita Fernández’s new work at Lehmann Maupin is stunning, each work a technical triumph with emotional resonance—not to mention her constant pushing of material boundaries. I am looking forward to Suzanne McClelland’s show of new paintings at Marianne Boesky. Her use of language and poetry always surprises, and this show will be no different.
Transformative Dining from the City to the Hudson Valley
WW: Where are your go-to places to grab a bite or drink after the fairs/opening?
AG: During the fair weeks, you will catch me at the remarkable French plant-based bistro in the West Village, Delice & Sarrasin. It is remarkable how they transform cafe classics with respect for traditional flavors, without any harm to animals.
Out of the city, I will wind down after the frenzy of art fair weeks in the Hudson Valley. Right now, we have a show with Bethany Collins in our Germantown Gallery, exploring the intertwining of loss and identity, with a focus on Bethany’s Years series—black, blind embossed prints of public notices from formerly enslaved individuals searching for loved ones. I love greeting visitors and friends of the Gallery, followed by the coziest dinner at Gaskins, our home-town restaurant helmed by chef Nick Suarez.
WW: Anything else you’re looking forward to experiencing during NY Art Week(s)?
AG: Art fairs are remarkable convening mechanisms. For me the greatest thing is connecting and reconnecting with colleagues, patrons and artists throughout the weeks. Some of the greatest minds and passionate voices for the artist are gathered—and you never know who you might see again, or meet for the first time.
Alexander Gray’s Must-See and Do List:
1. Ronny Quevedo: “Composite Portals” at Alexander Gray Associates, New York
Ronny Quevedo, “Powers of 10 (a fifth floor walk-up),” 2024, Metal leaf and pattern paper on paper, 60 1/2 x 60 1/2 in (153.7 x 153.7 cm),
64 5/8 x 64 1/2 x 1 1/2 in, (164.1 x 163.8 x 3.8 cm); Courtesy the artist and Alexander Gray Associates, New York © 2024 Ronny Quevedo.
Alexander Gray Associates, New York presents Ronny Quevedo: Composite Portals, the artist’s second solo exhibition with the Gallery. Positioning Andean textiles as conduits between the precolonial past and our postcolonial present, Composite Portals approaches the body as a site where history is accumulated and worn. The works in the exhibition abstract the visual languages of uniforms, tunics, and quipus to reflect on identity and cross-cultural exchange. They serve, per Quevedo, as “tribute to places known, unknown, and lost.” — Source
2. Teresita Fernández: “Soil Horizon” at Lehmann Maupin
Teresita Fernández, “Caribbean Cosmos(Earth) (Detail), ” 2023, glazed ceramic, 96 x 192 x 1.25 inches; courtesy the artist and Lehmann Maupin, New York, Seoul, and London.
On April 25, Lehmann Maupin raised the curtain on a decadent exhibition of new pieces by New York-based creative Teresita Fernández. Throughout her long-standing, exploratory career, the artist has deeply considered the notion of the landscape, whether above or below. Here, Fernández focuses her gaze on the far reaches of the inner self for a grand and poetic journey into the soul and matter of humanity itself. “Where am I?” was the question permanently placed at the heart of “Soil Horizon,” juxtaposing the metaphysical and the material for a momentous conversation between mortality, spirituality, and our oneness with Mother Earth.
3. Suzanne McClelland’s “Highland Seer” at Marianne Boesky
“Suzanne McClelland: MUTE,” courtesy of Marianne Boesky Gallery.
Marianne Boesky Gallery is pleased to present Highland Seer, an exhibition of new work by Suzanne McClelland (b. 1959; Jacksonville, FL). For her second solo exhibition with Marianne Boesky Gallery, McClelland turns her keen observational eye to notions of measurement and prediction, incorporating divergent materials, forms, and modes of painting that she has developed throughout the course of her 35-year career. — Source
4. Explore French Plant-Based Bistro Delice & Sarrasin in the West Village
Published by Délice & Sarrasin Restaurant, New York.
Our family-run Manhattan restaurant is committed to creating a truly immersive Plant-Based dining experience where dedicated vegans, curious foodies, or simply someone seeking a taste of France in a compassionate way, can indulge in the rich heritage of French gastronomy. — Source
5. Embark on a Cozy Dinner at Gaskins in the Hudson Valley
Photo by Patricio Suarez, published by Gaskins, Hudson Valley, Germantown, New York.
Settle with good company into this contemporary and forward-thinking sanctuary with a stylish, earthy atmosphere. A ravishing menu of culinary delights such as arugula & pancetta, house-made parrardelle, sparrowbush sourdough bread, and house-made ice cream updates daily.
