Arne Glimcher, the founder of Pace Gallery, has taken the space that Pearl River was kicked out of during the pandemic at Broadway and Walker for a new gallery that he will run. It will be called Gallery 125 Newbury, after the address of his first gallery in Boston, which he opened in 1960, and will open this fall. (The Times had the story yesterday.)

This pretty much seals the deal for the Tribeca Gallery District.

From the Pace website: “Gallery 125 Newbury will serve as an expanded platform for Arne Glimcher’s curatorial vision, which he will develop in tandem with his ongoing work at Pace. Maintaining his current role with Pace and his office space at the gallery’s 540 West 25th Street location, Arne Glimcher will continue to organize selected exhibitions at Pace’s global locations, including forthcoming solo exhibitions of Robert Irwin, Richard Tuttle, and Sam Gilliam, and he and his team will also continue working closely with Pace’s other artists. The inauguration of Gallery 125 Newbury represents Arne Glimcher’s return to his roots in hands-on curatorial experimentation, where his interest has always been directed.”

I loved the picture The Times included of Glimcher and Louise Nevelson — it looks like it was taken at the turn of the century but my guess it was in fact shot at the dedication of Louise Nevelson Plaza in Fidi in 1978.

As you will recall, the space has huge ceilings as well as a mezzanine in the back, where Pearl River had its gallery, and a full basement. Before Pearl River moved down from Soho, it was Western Spirit (which moved north of Canal and closed during the pandemic). The interior space will be renovated by the firm Bonetti/Kozerski, which designed Pace’s eight-story gallery in Chelsea. Pace said the space will retain some elements of the structure, including its original ceilings.

Pace now has nine galleries around the world, and while Arne Glimcher is still the founder and chairman (he is 83), his son, Marc, runs the show. So this will be his passion project. This is his explanation of the project: “When I started the Pace Gallery 60 years ago, it was a tiny little place on Newbury Street in Boston. I’m dazzled every day by what the gallery has become and our incredible artists, and I’m thrilled to continue to play a role in Marc’s vision. Gallery 125 Newbury is about expanding my own story at the same time, about going full circle, back to the little gallery I once had, back to being hands-on in every facet of making shows and working with artists and connecting with the public, which is the part of it that I really love.”