Greene Contemporary to Leave Sarasota

March 7th, 2008 · No Comments

Steven Katzman. Flowers for Gretchen. 1997, 47″ x 38″, Pigment print, ed. 1/5. Image courtesy Greene Contemporary.

Here’s another opening reception I neglected to mention:

Tonight, 6-9 p.m. – Reception for Steven Katzman: Obsessed with the Found at Greene Contemporary, Sarasota

Earlier this week, owner Jonathan Greene announced via email that his Sarasota gallery, Greene Contemporary, is officially closing. Initially, he had planned to continue running the gallery through May, but the city and county (of Sarasota) plan to begin a construction project related to storm water drainage on Pineapple Ave. directly in front of the gallery next month. The project is expected to last through September.

Greene is currently looking for a gallery space in lower Manhattan, where he hopes to open by September. After the Sarasota gallery closes on Mar. 29 (at the conclusion of this exhibit devoted to the photography of Steven Katzman), Greene will begin the process of evaluating which, if any, of his current artists he might take to New York. The gallery will maintain a warehouse on Central Ave. for collectors interested in purchasing from the gallery after Mar. 29.

This news saddens me on several levels. For one, Greene Contemporary is really the best, and almost the only, professional contemporary art gallery in the greater Bay area—and it’s in Sarasota, which should be comment enough about the state of Tampa and St. Pete. (By “professional contemporary art gallery,” I mean a place that has a storefront presence, a staff, regular operating hours, and demonstrates a rigorous commitment to showcasing contemporary art.)

And Greene, together with curator Mark Ormond, consistently put together some of the area’s best gallery shows. Last year’s Nicole Mauser/Jeffrey Schwartz show could be an example, as could Parallax Views or Outside the Box: NY and CA. Perhaps last month’s Sabrina Small show best illustrates how Greene Contemporary excels at identifying and promoting work that succeeds in being fresh and new without throwing technique or concept out the window.

It does feel good to point out that we’re talking about a gallery that is doing well enough that the owner can think about upping the ante, rather than the other way around, but it’s still a huge loss to the community.