Introducing the latest and perhaps the most star-studded addition to the Tribeca Gallery District: 125 Newbury, a “project space” (more on that below) from Arne Glimcher, the noted art dealer, gallerist, film producer and film director who founded Pace Gallery in 1960 Boston at…125 Newbury Street.

This newest space is run by Pace directors but is a separate corporate entity and has an original vibe: the space (they don’t even want me to call it a gallery!) is much smaller than Pace’s other eight galleries spread out across the globe — a jewel box, as they call it — and it is being run with both a different goal and a different exhibit model, with spontaneity being the key factor.

“We can see something at a studio and show it a month later, rather than two years out,” said Talia Rosen, one of the four Pace directors running the space. (That’s her below on the left with Glimcher, Kathleen McDonnell and Oliver Shultz.) “The idea is we are more nimble and flexible. It allows for R+D.”

The idea started germinating a year ago, but came together quickly when they saw the former Pearl River Mart — in a Stanford White building* with 17-foot ceilings. Then there were the added perks of the neighborhood and its burgeoning arts scene. “It has this vibrant arts community, and neighbors were excited we were coming.” That’s for sure. On opening night they welcomed 640 guests in a line that went around the corner and down the block.

The name, Rosen said, was Glimcher’s way of honoring his roots — getting back to the “why” of wanting a gallery in the first place. One goal is to bring thematic exhibits back to life, starting with this show, Wild Strawberries, a reference to the 1957 Ingmar Bergman film. Now, stay with me: in the film, the protagonist has a nightmare where he is wandering through abandoned city streets, desperate to find someone. He spies a figure with his back turned to him and approaches. When he rests his hand on the man’s shoulder, the man turns, shows a crazy scrunched up face and dissolves, wicked-witch-of-the-west style, onto the pavement.

“The artists with pieces in this show are walking the line between attraction and repulsion, threat and seduction,” Rosen said. “They are both representative of the human body, and abstractions of the body.” You’ll get it when you see it.

125 Newbury doesn’t actively represent any artists yet, though Pace has 119 on its roster. They are aiming for five shows a year, though no word yet on the next one.

For this show, the directors deliberately chose pieces across a broad swatch of generations, galleries and institutions, to bring the art world together in one spot — at least for a brief time. Plus they have two video pieces showing on the Walker side of the building, as a way to connect more with the community. “This was all important to us,” said Rosen. “It was a great way to start off.”

125 Newbury
395 Broadway at Walker
Tuesday – Saturday, 10a – 6p
212-371-5242
info@125newbury.com

* The 125 Newbury folks thought they were in a Stanford White building, but a reader suggested otherwise and he was right. From the Tribeca East Historic District designation report: Erected in 1899-1901, it was designed by Robert Maynicke, a prolific commercial architect whose work is well represented in what is now the Ladies’ Mile Historic District. Originally commissioned by Peter J. Merrick, the project passed to Henry Corn, both of whom were real estate developers responsible for many buildings similar in type in the aforementioned district.