“I like a gallery that’s part of a community, with restaurants, shops, and neighbors,” says Taymour Grahne, whose Taymour Grahne Gallery opens Saturday on Hudson, explaining why he chose Tribeca over Chelsea. “I’ve lived in Tribeca since the summer of 2011, so I’ve seen firsthand the benefits of the area—including its many large spaces. And a lot of collectors live in Tribeca. People around here want to see more galleries and more art.”

Most recently the studio of artist Holton Rower, the location is best known to folks of a certain generation as the nightclub Area, or at least a section of it. (Officially, it’s part of the 60 Collister development.) The 4,000-square-foot gallery is on two levels, with a dramatic glass staircase and a cut-out on the ground floor that lets light in downstairs. “Sometimes we’ll use both floors for one exhibit,” says Grahne. “But downstairs can also function as a project space.”

Born in London to a Lebanese mother and a Finnish father, Grahne grew up in London, Beirut, and New York City. Initial reports had the gallery focusing on Middle Eastern art, no doubt due to Grahne’s blog, Art of the Mid East, but he says it’ll have a special awareness of the area’s art but by no means to show it exclusively: “Our goal is to put Middle Eastern art in an international context.”

The inaugural show, “Chasing the Butterfly and Other Recent Paintings,” spotlights the work of Iranian artist Nicky Nodjoumi. The photos below don’t do it justice—do stop by and admire the paintings in person. It’s up through Oct. 23. Or stop by the opening this Saturday (6-8 p.m.), to which the public is invited.

Taymour Grahne Gallery is at 157 Hudson (between Laight and Hubert), 212-240-9442; taymourgrahne.com.

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