Art Basel has announced Paula Cooper Gallery as the first recipient of its inaugural Gallery Legacy Award. The award recognizes a gallery that has demonstrated sustained commitment to artists through long-term representation and career development, while shaping cultural and market impact. Paula Cooper Gallery was selected by a jury of nine leading collectors and patrons from Europe, North America, the Middle East, and Asia. Founded in 1968, the gallery was the first to open in New York's SoHo district and has represented iconic artists such as Sol LeWitt, Donald Judd, Cecily Brown, and Christian Marclay. As part of the award, Paula Cooper Gallery has nominated Chapter NY as a next-generation gallery to receive up to $50,000 toward participation costs at Art Basel in June 2027.
The award matters because it addresses a significant gap in the art world: while artists are often honored for lifetime achievement, galleries—the long-term builders of artistic careers, markets, and cultural discourse—remain largely unrecognized at an institutional level. By creating this award, Art Basel reinforces its commitment to its core constituency of galleries and introduces a mentorship component that extends the award's impact to emerging gallerists. This initiative highlights the crucial role galleries play in shaping contemporary art history and market development, while also fostering intergenerational stewardship within the global gallery ecosystem.