New York City real estate has a way of creating unusual mash-ups, hiding away gems where they are least expected. For DeLorenzo Gallery’s new space, which opens this week, this is certainly the case. Over the course of decades, it has established itself as one of the world’s epicenters of collectible modern design, and it has the real estate credo to prove it: a Madison Avenue address just opposite the Carlyle Hotel. Yet, to get there, visitors must first pass through a ground-level candy store and pharmacy.
A quick elevator ride out of the cough drops and breath mints, though, reveals an exquisite skylit gallery filled with works by many of the bold-faced names in modern and contemporary design, including Eileen Gray, Jean Dunand, Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann, and Alexandre Noll.
The gallery’s former space, which was previously just around the corner and snatched up by Thomas Maier, was a narrow storefront. The move gives DeLorenzo more room and a wider footprint to exhibit its impressive inventory. ‘I love having different places to tell stories,’ says gallery director Adriana Friedman.
Designed by Samuel Amoia, the restrained elegance of the interiors gives full voice to the exhibited objects themselves. A thin ribbing along the walls near the entrance breaks up the space and frames different clusters of objects.
The new space allows the gallery not only to show more work, but also to host different events like discussions and lectures, including a forthcoming event with André Leon Talley. The gallery will officially reopen on November 13, a date timed to coincide with the Salon of Art + Design, held at the nearby Park Avenue Armory.
