David Zwirner at 30: An Ode to His Big Wooden Door
The big wooden door at Zwirner's W 20th street location has always been special to me for many reasons.
Galleries are like people. They are a reflection of a multitude of things which is dictated by who runs them, their programming, the artists, the staff, and much more. Knowing certain galleries is also a reflection of taste. And as Bourdieu pointed out in Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgement of Taste, “Taste classifies, and it classifies the classifier.” And odds are if you ask someone what their favorite and least favorite galleries are, you will be quick to get a response.
I have always adopted an omnivorous attitude when it comes to my art consumption and realize there are many complicated nuances that go into what I love or even hate about a gallery space. The devils always seem to be in the details, and one that I have always loved is the big wood door at David Zwirner's W 20th Street location in Chelsea.
A street view of the big wooden door I love.
Over the last 30 years David Zwirner has established himself as a name brand and mega gallery within the art world and beyond. Showing blockbuster artists such as Barbara Kruger, Joan Mitchell, Dan Flavin, Wolfgang Tillmans, and dozens of others, he has created a program that spans continents and defies what a traditional gallery has come to be thought of. Zwirner, who is a graduate of New York University, studied music, and even performed as a jazz drummer, which frankly is one of my most favorite details about the man.
David Zwirner playing drums at a Russian restaurant in Coney Island, following a Franz West show opening, 1994. "There were no openings in the music program at the university in Cologne," wrote Nick Paumgarten in The New Yorker, "so [Zwirner] sent an audition tape to New York University of him playing the melody of Charlie Parker’s 'Ornithology' on the drums." Image courtesy of David Zwirner gallery.
He was born in 1964 in Cologne to art dealer Rudolf Zwirner and his wife Ursula, and in many ways, art was in his blood. Rudolf ran a gallery on the ground floor of the Zwirner home, and eventually young David caught the art bug and followed in his father's footsteps. And became a hot art daddy over the years. And David is the perfect daddy age at 59.
In 1993, Zwirner first opened his NYC gallery in SoHo. Nine years later, he relocated to Chelsea on W 19th Street and 11 years later, expanded to W 20th, on his 20th anniversary. The expansion marked a new era for the gallery and also for Zwirner himself. And as the gallery grew, it also came with a new huge wooden door I would come to love for many reasons.
Street view of the outside of David Zwirner’s W 20th Street location. Image courtesy of Selldorf Architects.
Today, he runs one of the most successful galleries in the world, and one visual clue to this, at least for me, is the door at W 20th Street. It is unlike any gallery door I have ever encountered. Its thickness and weight are similar to a barn door or even a cathedral door, and when crossing the threshold of the space, I often feel like I am entering another realm. Or even going to church.
The space was designed in 2013, by Selldorf Architects.There were clearly many factors that came into envisioning this space and according to the Selldorf Architects's website, “The neighborhood’s industrial heritage inspired the design’s simple monumentality. Made from exposed concrete, the façade is rough and refined—having the grittiness to resonate with industrial structures and the elegance to create a distinguished identity for the gallery. On the ground floor, the teak storefront allows the building to open for art access and creates a warm contrast with the concrete.” That warm contrast for me is that door.
Those good wooden details. Image courtesy of Selldorf architects.
I also reached out to Selldorf to see if they might be willing to speak to me about the door specifically, but they did not respond to my request for an interview.
It is expansive and includes multiple gallery spaces, offices, a library, art handling areas, and even green spaces on the roof. It is a space that is fitting for the mega gallery that Zwirner has become, and the door in many ways is the cherry on this art sundae. The door, like the rest of the gallery is a power move for a big daddy. And at thirty years in the industry, Zwirner has certainly earned this big wooden door status. The building coincided with the gallery's 20th anniversary, and in many ways, the door cemented his art status.
The mega gallery daddy himself, David Zwirner. And owner of the big wooden door.
Zwirner's galleries in particular is one that over the years, have developed a personal relationship to. I have seen countless shows there, have met friends there, gone on dates there, attended press previews there, and in many ways came into my own as a reporter and a critic passing through that door. The action of opening it, and stepping through it is transformative. It has come to represent many things to me over the years. I am in my 30s, and going to this gallery for more than half my life has had on affect on me; and in many ways they saw me through countless transitional moments in my life.
Not only as an art daddy double entendre, but also has made me confront things about my own process of viewing art, what it means, and also what galleries do and how they function. The art ecosystem is composed of many things and when we think of the art world and where specific galleries are situated within it, David Zwirner, often enviable, is top of mind.
It is everything for me for so many reasons. It is unique to the space and is something I have never encountered at another gallery. The door is more than just a door. It is a portal to something bigger than myself, but it is what it represents and where that door has taken me over the years that keeps me coming back for more. David Zwirner's big wooden door is something I will always love and hope that as the expansions continue, that there will be more doors like it in the future.
Until next time daddies be sure to follow The art daddy substack as well as on Instagram to get your daily dose of daddies. Dm's are always open for news, gossip, and tea sessions.