Sean Kelly Gallery
New York, NY, USA
2012

Pioneering a new area of New York City, Sean Kelly Gallery is a 22,000 square foot exhibition space, one of the first in the rapidly developing neighborhood adjacent to Hudson Yards and the third extension of the Highline.  The gallery spans the ground and basement levels of a historic 1914 building on the corner of 36th Street and 10th Avenue, its design skillfully negotiating between respectful deference to its rich urban context and a new material sensibility. The project includes a centralized library, two distinct gallery spaces, and a black box theater that can also double as a third exhibition space. This configuration allows for maximum flexibility, accommodating the broad range of work produced by the gallery’s artists, who include Marina Abramovic, Antony Gormley, and Robert Mapplethorpe.   

The entry serves as a portal into the monumental exhibition space, and a respite from the city. Upon entering the gallery, visitors are confronted with a heavy timber reception desk juxtaposed with the lightness of glazed administrative offices beyond. The gallery is a unique and careful balance of work space and exhibition space, both equally on display to the public. A central library with custom floor to ceiling bookshelves serves as the intellectual heart of the gallery.

Project Information:

Design Team: Toshiko Mori, Hye-Young Chung
Contractor: Qwest Contracting
Structural: Rodney D. Gibble Consulting Engineers
MEP: Thomas Polise Consulting Engineer
Lighting: Arup

Photographs © Michael Moran