Galerie Templon has closed its Chelsea outpost in New York after four years, citing a rent increase from $55,000 per month for the 6,500-square-foot space. Mathieu Templon, who oversaw the New York location and is the son of founder Daniel Templon, plans to move back to Paris with his family but intends to open a smaller operation in TriBeCa or the Upper East Side. The gallery's last Chelsea exhibition was a solo show by Jamaican-born painter David Smalling, which closed at the end of April. Templon currently maintains works at a Midtown Manhattan design studio and uses Mathieu Templon's SoHo rental as an appointment-only showroom for private sales.
This closure matters because it reflects a broader trend of mid-sized international galleries pulling back from expensive New York real estate, following similar moves by London-based Stephen Friedman and Timothy Taylor. The decision underscores the financial pressures facing galleries in prime Manhattan locations, even those with high-profile rosters including artists like Kehinde Wiley, Jim Dine, and Will Cotton. It also highlights a strategic shift toward smaller, more flexible spaces and private sales operations as galleries adapt to rising costs and changing market dynamics.