ACA Galleries

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ACA Galleries is a New York City-based art gallery that specializes in exhibitions of 19th-century, modern, and contemporary American and European art. Founded in 1932 by Herman Baron, Stuart Davis, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, and Adolf Dehn, the gallery was originally named American Contemporary Art. At the time of its founding, there were only three New York galleries that showcased American art.

HISTORY

1930s:

Founded during the Great Depression, ACA Galleries primarily focused on the Social Realism movement in the early years. The gallery's mission was to exhibit art conveying social consciousness and promoting "art with a message". Social Realist artists featured at ACA included Raphael and Moses Soyer, Adolf Dehn, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, and William Gropper. The gallery also showcased works by American Modernists, such as Stuart Davis, Rockwell Kent, Max Weber, and Otto Soglow. In 1935, ACA's founders, alongside many of the gallery's original artists, founded the American Artists' Congress, which eventually led to the creation of the Federal Art Project (FPA), the Public Works Administration (PWA), and the Works Progress Administration (WPA).

1940s:

ACA's exhibitions during the 1940s, featured works by artists like Philip Evergood and Phillip Reisman. The gallery presented Charles White's first solo exhibition in 1947, which focused on African American women's strength and beauty. However, ACA faced criticism from Michigan congressman George A. Dondero in 1949, who accused the gallery of promoting an un-American vision; ACA's Herman Baron countered Dondero's allegations in his essay "American Art Under Attack".

1950s:

As female artists remained underrepresented in New York City galleries, ACA showcased Alice Neel's work from December 1950 to January 1951. In the late 1950s, Herman Baron's nephew, Sidney Bergen, joined the gallery and incorporated modern accounting, marketing, and cataloging strategies, which contributed to ACA's growth.

1960s:

Upon Herman Baron's death in 1961, Sidney Bergen assumed the Directorship of ACA.

1970s:

During the 1970s, ACA's exhibitions featured African American artists such as Barkley Hendricks and Benny Andrews. Both artists were integral to the push for the inclusion of African American artists in major American museums. Additionally, the gallery showcased works of sculpture and assemblage, including pieces by John Kearney and Joseph Cornell.

1990s:

In the 1990s, ACA exhibited artists like African-American painter Richard Mayhew, who explored landscape themes through his Native American heritage, and painter/printmaker Wendy Mark, known for her abstract landscapes in monotype. The gallery also added Faith Ringgold to its program, showcasing her paintings, prints, books, tankas, and quilts that reference her activism and African-American heritage.

2000s:

In the 21st century, ACA Galleries, now situated in Chelsea, New York City, expanded its programs under the leadership of Jeffrey Bergen, who took charge in 2001 following Sidney Bergen's death. Notable exhibitions have featured Ilya Bolotowsky, Sidney Goodman, Irwin Kremen, and DeLoss McGraw. In June 2019, Faith Ringgold, in collaboration with ACA Galleries, had her first international solo exhibition at London's Serpentine Galleries.

ONGOING

ACA Galleries continues to showcase art from contemporary artists and their social realist roots. Recent exhibitions have included "Black Masters" at Frieze London 2022, featuring works by Faith Ringgold, Elizabeth Catlett, and Jacob Lawrence; photorealist painter John Baeder; andStyle Writer Phase 2.

References

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