Semaphore Gallery was a

contemporary art Contemporary art is the art of today, produced in the second half of the 20th century or in the 21st century. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a dynamic com ...

gallery founded by Barry Blinderman and A. James Shapiro in 1980 in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, located at 462 West Broadway in the Soho district. In 1984, Semaphore East was also established on the corner of 10th and Avenue B in the East Village district of New York City. Semaphore East closed in 1986, and Semaphore Soho moved to 136 Greene Street, across from Leo Castelli. The gallery closed in the summer of 1987, when Blinderman accepted the position of Director at University Galleries of Illinois State University.

Name and history

Art dealer

Ivan Karp Ivan C. Karp (June 4, 1926 – June 28, 2012) was an American art dealer, gallerist and author instrumental in the emergence of pop art and the development of Manhattan's SoHo gallery district in the 1960s. Ivan Karp was born in the Bronx and gr ...

, who named Semaphore Gallery, was referring to the power of an image to "telegraph" meaning. Semaphore Gallery championed the work of Walter Robinson,

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Martin Wong Martin Wong (; July 11, 1946 – August 12, 1999) was a Chinese-American painter of the late 20th century. His work has been described as a meticulous blend of social realism and visionary art styles. Wong's paintings often explored multiple ...

Mimi Gross Mimi Gross (born 1940) is a New York City born American artist. Biography Early life Gross was born in New York City in 1940. She is the daughter of the sculptor Chaim Gross. She grew up on the Upper West Side of Manhattan among the artist commu ...

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, Bobby G, Alexander Kosolapov,

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, Jane Dickson,

Tseng Kwong Chi Tseng Kwong Chi, known as Joseph Tseng prior to his professional career ( Chinese: ; September 6, 1950 – March 10, 1990), was a Hong Kong-born American photographer who was active in the East Village art scene in the 1980s. He is the brother of ...

, Walter Steding, Cockrill/Judge Hughes, Mike Bidlo,

Nancy Dwyer Nancy Dwyer (born 1954) is an American contemporary artist whose works include paintings, works on paper, public art, word sculpture and furniture art. Her work has been exhibited widely at venues including the Whitney Museum of American Art, th ...

, and others. In 1981, Blinderman curated "The Anxious Figure," a seminal exhibition featuring

Robert Longo Robert Longo (born 1953) is an American artist, filmmaker, photographer and musician. Longo became first well known in the 1980s for his ''Men in the Cities'' drawing and print series, which depict sharply dressed men and women writhing in cont ...

. Alice Neel,

Jedd Garet Jedd Garet is an American sculptor, painter and printmaker, who was born in 1955. He was raised in California, studied at the Rhode Island School of Design, and received a BFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Influenced by sur ...

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, Dan Freeman, Mark Schwartz, Mimi Gross, Gregg Smith, Mike Glier,

Ed Paschke Edward Francis Paschke (June 22, 1939 – November 25, 2004) was an American painter of Polish descent. His childhood interest in animation and cartoons, as well as his father's creativity in wood carving and construction, led him toward a caree ...

, Peter Dean, and

Keith Haring Keith Allen Haring (May 4, 1958 – February 16, 1990) was an American artist whose pop art emerged from the New York City graffiti subculture of the 1980s. His animated imagery has "become a widely recognized visual language". Much of his wor ...

. Semaphore East, directed by Annie Herron, hosted one-person exhibitions for

Lady Pink Lady Pink, born Sandra Fabara (1964), is an Ecuadorian-American graffiti and mural artist. Early life Fabara was born in Ambato, Ecuador in 1964 and moved to the Astoria neighborhood of Queens, New York when she was seven years old. She grew up ...

, Lori Taschler,

Ellen Berkenblit Ellen Berkenblit (born 1958) is an American painter. She was born in Paterson, New Jersey and graduated from the Cooper Union in 1980. She received an Arts and Letters grant from the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2013, and a Guggenheim ...

, Janet McKiernan,

Mark Kostabi Kalev Mark Kostabi (born November 27, 1960) is an American artist and composer. Early life Kostabi was born in Los Angeles on November 27, 1960, to Estonian immigrants Kaljo and Rita Kostabi. He was raised in Whittier, California and studied dra ...

, Felix Pène du Bois, Daryl Trivieri, Bobby G, and other artists.
New York in the 80s: Selections from the Barry Blinderman Collection Additional artists who had one-person exhibitions at Semaphore include: Walter Steding, Valentina Dubasky, Michael Ross, Dan Freeman, John Fekner, Dan Witz, Philip Ayers, Louise Sloane, Leonid Sokov, and David Prentice.

References

{{reflist Organizations established in 1980 Chelsea, Manhattan Defunct art museums and galleries in Manhattan 1980 establishments in New York City American art dealers Contemporary art galleries in the United States

Name and history

See also

References