The Chelsea gallery Kasmin will close this autumn after 35 years of operation, transitioning into a new venture called Olney Gleason. The new gallery will be led by Kasmin president Nick Olney and senior director Eric Gleason, both longtime employees who say the move aligns with the wishes of the late founder Paul Kasmin. Olney Gleason will continue working with an unspecified number of artists and estates from Kasmin's roster, including François-Xavier and Claude Lalanne, Lee Krasner, and Jackson Pollock's estate, and will open a flagship space in Chelsea with an inaugural show this autumn.
This closure marks the end of a significant chapter in New York's gallery scene, as Kasmin was a pioneering Chelsea dealer who represented over 100 artists and staged more than 350 exhibitions. The transition to Olney Gleason reflects a strategic shift toward contemporary art, with about 80% of the new gallery's artists having joined Kasmin in the past five years. The move underscores the ongoing evolution of the commercial art world, where legacy galleries restructure under new leadership to adapt to changing markets and artist rosters.