Filed Under Art

Downtown Gallery

By Robin Song
1940s Tax Department Photograph
1940s Tax Department Photograph A four-story building with a sign, "The Downtown Gallery," above the front window Source: 1980s Tax Department photographs, New York city Municipal Archives, https://nycrecords.access.preservica.com/uncategorized/IO_bd5c3d5e-9962-423b-96c1-8c9e3be39b41/ Date: 1939-1941

"The DOWNTOWN GALLERY, 113 West Thirteenth Street, always has examples of the work of six outstanding painters on view: Marin, O’Keeffe, Sheeler, Karfiol, Laurent, and Kuniyoshi. An excellent collection of folk art is exhibited on the upper floors." (New York City Guide, p.140)

The Downtown Gallery was one of the galleries in New York which displayed living "American art" (Wikipedia, n.d.). The gallery focused on and promoted particularly modern American art. For example, Ben Shahn's first exhibition in 1930 and William Harnett's first exhibition in 1939 were held. The gallery was the first commercial art gallery in Greenwich Village established by Edith Halpert (Wikipedia, n.d.; Village Preservation, 2020). Thus, the Downtown Gallery was a different type of art gallery/museum in Greenwich Village.

There were many emerging artists at the location of the gallery, Greenwich Village (New York City Guide, p.138). Therefore, the gallery is significant in terms of its location which is appropriate for a place where artists can easily access. It was also similarly significant because the gallery was in Downtown. Additionally, the gallery represented downtown art as its name indicated. On Sixth Avenue where house renovation occurred, residences in Downtown probably had easy access and interest to the art gallery.

Images

1940s Tax Department Photograph
1940s Tax Department Photograph A four-story building with a sign, "The Downtown Gallery," above the front window Source: 1980s Tax Department photographs, New York city Municipal Archives, https://nycrecords.access.preservica.com/uncategorized/IO_bd5c3d5e-9962-423b-96c1-8c9e3be39b41/ Date: 1939-1941
1980s Tax Department Photograph
1980s Tax Department Photograph A red-brownish four-story building with an awning in front of the building Source: 1980s Tax Department photographs, New York city Municipal Archives, https://nycrecords.access.preservica.com/uncategorized/IO_294c86a9-95f7-40d1-850c-84e6acaddf9d/ Date: 1983-1988
Google Street View
Google Street View A photograph of red four-story building with a red awning in front of the building Source:

Google Maps. “113 W 13th St.” Accessed July 23, 2024. https://www.google.com/maps/place/Spain/@40.7369881,-73.9980602,3a,75y,43.86h,97.11t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1snkafBv8abGS4dk710P7zBQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192!4m17!1m9!3m8!1s0x89c259962b867e0b:0x786e9ee858516b97!2s113+W+13th+St,+New+York,+NY+10011,+USA!3b1!8m2!3d40.7371344!4d-73.9979214!10e5!16s%2Fg%2F11c5knxs6_!3m6!1s0x89c259962b867e0b:0xdf5b81d3c2202284!8m2!3d40.7371345!4d-73.9979214!10e5!16s%2Fg%2F1tywyv_d?coh=205409&entry=ttu

 Date: 2024
A Historical Map
A Historical Map A digitized map illustrating areas surrounding West 14th street with Block and Lot numbers Source: Lionel Pincus and Princess Firyal Map Division, The New York Public Library. "Bounded by W. 14th Street, E. 14th Street, University Place, E. 8th Street, W. 8th Street, Greenwich Avenue and Seventh Avenue" New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed July 23, 2024. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/de9d3200-1ff7-0132-6809-58d385a7b928 Date: 1925
Public Domain Image
Public Domain Image A photograph of buildings and houses lined on the street Source: The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection, The New York Public Library. "Vista from West Street, 115-119 West Street" New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed July 26, 2024. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/2b5e96d0-eb46-013a-3478-0242ac110003 Date: 1938

Location

113 West Thirteenth Street

Metadata

Related Resources

  1. Federal Writers' Project (N.Y.). New York City Guide; a Comprehensive Guide to the Five Boroughs of the Metropolis: Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, and Richmond. New York, Random House, 1939. https://archive.org/details/newyorkcityguide0000fede/mode/2up.Wikipedia. “Downtown Gallery.” Accessed July 25, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downtown_Gallery Winchell, Louisa. “The Downtown Gallery and the Woman behind the American Art Market - Village Preservation.” Village Preservation - Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, June 17, 2020. https://www.villagepreservation.org/2020/04/09/the-downtown-gallery-and-the-woman-behind-the-american-art-market/.  

Citation Info

Robin Song, “Downtown Gallery,” Tours of 1930s NYC, accessed October 1, 2024, https://robinsong.reclaim.hosting/items/show/14.

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