Jack Hanley, a beloved and idiosyncratic New York gallerist, announced he would close his gallery after 37 years in business. In a conversation with Artnet News co-host Kate Brown, Hanley reflects on his career as a disruptor who followed instinct over market logic, giving early shows to now-iconic artists like Günther Förg, Christopher Wool, Sophie Calle, and Christian Marclay, and even hosting Beeple's first gallery show. Hanley, a former Grateful Dead roadie and avid orchid grower, also founded an art fair and ran galleries in multiple cities.
This matters because Hanley's closure marks the end of an era for a gallerist who helped define the San Francisco art scene of the 1990s and championed challenging, boundary-blurring work. His departure highlights the tension between artistic devotion and an increasingly absurd art market, offering a rare, candid perspective on transformation and continuity in the art world from a figure who operated with independence and integrity for nearly four decades.