Altman Siegel Gallery Scheduled for Closure Next Month

San Francisco’s Altman Siegel Gallery to Close Amid Challenging Art Market

After nearly 17 years as a prominent space for independent and compelling art, Altman Siegel Gallery in San Francisco will wind down its operations next month. Founder Claudia Altman-Siegel has cited the current art market’s demands as the primary reason for the decision to close, as explained in her announcement released on October 15. The gallery is set to close its doors on November 22, following its path of exhibiting conceptually dynamic work.

Altman-Siegel established her gallery in 2009 after moving from New York, where she had gained significant experience at Luhring Augustine Gallery. Since its inception, Altman Siegel Gallery has earned a reputation for presenting works by emerging and mid-career artists from the Bay Area and beyond, including talents like Shannon Ebner, Lynn Hershman Leeson, and Trevor Paglen. The gallery thrived as a historically significant venue for artistic innovation, navigating expansions that allowed it to remain at the forefront of contemporary dialogues.

Despite the closure, the gallery will host one last exhibition featuring Tokyo-based painter Shinpei Kusanagi entitled “It is not far to the sea,” opening on October 16 and running through November 15. The gallery’s closure aligns with a broader trend of art venues and galleries shuttering due to diminishing market conditions. As the gallery concludes, it leaves behind a legacy of promoting diverse art forms and vibrant programming, a characteristic local curators and art leaders acknowledge will be sorely missed.