Paula Cooper Gallery

Paula Cooper Gallery, founded in 1968, holds a special place in New York’s art history as the first gallery to open in SoHo. Its inaugural exhibition was both political and artistic, staged to benefit the Student Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam and featuring now-iconic figures such as Carl Andre, Dan Flavin, Donald Judd, Robert Mangold, Robert Ryman, and Sol LeWitt, whose first wall drawing made its debut there. From its earliest days, the gallery has been committed to bold, challenging work, with an emphasis on conceptual and minimal art.

When the gallery moved to Chelsea in 1996, it occupied a redesigned 19th-century building by architect Richard Gluckman, a space that reflects the clarity and openness aligned with the art it presents. A second location soon followed, expanding Paula Cooper’s reach in the city’s growing art district. Yet, while known primarily for its groundbreaking exhibitions of conceptual and minimal art, the gallery has also cultivated a deep commitment to photography. Within its program, photography is treated not as a peripheral practice but as an integral medium of contemporary art. Exhibitions have included works by photographers who interrogate both the documentary and experimental dimensions of the medium, situating photography alongside painting, sculpture, and installation as a vital part of the gallery’s narrative.

Over the decades, Paula Cooper Gallery has also been more than an exhibition space. It has hosted music symposia, dance performances, poetry readings, and community events, blurring the boundaries between disciplines and affirming the interconnections of artistic practice. For 25 years, its legendary New Year’s Eve readings of Gertrude Stein and James Joyce became cultural rituals in their own right.

Through its dynamic program and its thoughtful inclusion of photography, Paula Cooper Gallery continues to shape dialogues around contemporary art while honoring its pioneering spirit.