While many of Berlin’s more established gallerists are eyeing Los Angeles as their next outpost—Galerie Sprüth Magers is launching their LA space in the fall, with others to follow—influential German dealer Daniel Buchholz has opted for a more traditional address in Manhattan’s Upper East Side, across the street from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

“We’re too old for Brooklyn,” Buchholz told Die Welt in an interview. “We’ve snuck into the Upper East Side.”

Dealer Alex Zachary—who made a name for himself in the New York art world when he’d joined forces with Peter Currie to open their now defunct, but buzz-worthy gallery—is now director of the Manhattan branch.

Galerie Buchholz on 17 East 82nd Street.
Photo: Courtesy of Galerie Buchholz via Die Welt.

The gallery’s inaugural show, which opened on July 2, is an indication of the experimental program Buchholz has in mind for the modestly-sized space.

Dedicated to the French literary figure Raymond Roussel (1877-1933), the show focuses on his reception in the US and influence on the art of Marcel Duchamp, the Surrealists and, later, Joseph Cornell, Marcel Broodthaers, and Sigmar Polke. Works by contemporary artists, such as Trisha Donnelly, Henrik Olesen, and others are also included.

“It’s an expansion of our work, not a new headquarters,” Buchholz told Die Welt. “Of course there are connoisseurs of Roussel’s work in Berlin or Cologne, but in New York we hope for a very different form of engagement with the subject. The real experts are here.”

Installation view of the show “Raymond Roussel” at Galerie Daniel Buchholz, New York. 
Photo: Courtesy of Galerie Daniel Buchholz.

Buchholz, the son of an antique book dealer, opened his first gallery in Cologne in the 1980s, and now has three spaces in the city including his father’s bookshop. In 2008, he launched the West Berlin branch of the gallery together with his partner Christopher Müller.

They represent artists such as Isa Genzken, Wollfgang Tillmans, Jutta Koether, Mark Leckey, and Lutz Bacher, among others.