Mary Boone Gallery Chelsea

Profile

The onetime doyenne of the downtown art scene, in Chelsea since 2000, with ample area for large-scale works and installations. Founded in the late seventies as a showcase for younger artists, Boone's gallery is often cited as inspiring the SoHo-centric art world boom of the eighties via artists like David Salle and Julian Schnabel. Back then, Boone featured solo shows by the likes of Brice Marden, Anselm Kiefer and Sigmar Polke, too. Although considered a little bit overrated today—with middle-of-the-road artists like cakes-and-gingerbread-houses painter Will Cotton, the gallery still manages to stir up the occasional controversy. An exhibit of limbless marble nudes by British Sensation artist Marc Quinn caused a stir, and Boone herself was arrested for the live ammunition on display in a show by artist Tom Sachs.