BMW Art Guide by Independent Collectors

Eleven Rivington – New York, USA

Newfound talent and rediscovers international artists for a new audience

Installation view: Works by Joe Baer, Elaine Cameron-Weir, and Lygia Clark, 2012
Installation view: Works by Joe Baer, Elaine Cameron-Weir, and Lygia Clark, 2012

Eleven Rivington opened its doors to a busy Lower East Side street in 2007, just as The New Museum of Contemporary Art opened a few steps away. The years that followed have seen the transformation of the area into one of Manhattan’s most fashionable neighborhoods, and a fully formed gallery district in which this small space is making a big impact.

The gallery focuses on an international and inter-generational program. The roots of the partnership between John Van Doren and director Augusto Arbizo lie in the Van Doren Waxter Gallery where the two worked together previously. Eleven Rivington supports newfound talent and rediscovers international artists for a new audience.

Installation view: Michael DeLucia, 2013
Installation view: Michael DeLucia, 2013

The gallery has established itself within the burgeoning Lower East Side scene by promoting local emergent talents such as Kevin Zucker and sculptor Michael DeLucia. The location has also proven to be an important draw for enticing artists from Latin America, Europe, and Asia. Promoting mid-career artists who have had little previous exposure in the US is another strand of the mission: German artist Volker Hüller, Caetano de Almeida from Brazil and Peruvian Ishmael Randall Weeks were all enabled in their New York debuts by Eleven Rivington.

Artist-curator Augusto Arbizo, who is himself a keen collector, demonstrates his passion and enthusiasm for finding new talent as he excitedly anticipates the upcoming New York premiere by Swiss artist Tobias Spichtig in December: "A sense of discovery is rare in the art world and when you come upon an artist whose ambition and vision you connect with; being able to provide an early platform is an honor."

In seeking a program and audience beyond their geographical location from the beginning, the gallery has been able to cultivate and cross promote both their American and international artists. "This makes for a rich dialogue", states Arbizo "it also surprises our audience."

Installation view: Aiko Hachisuka, 2013
Installation view: Aiko Hachisuka, 2013

The response has been significant: artists represented by the gallery have gone on to be featured in major exhibitions and surveys including the Whitney Biennale, São Paulo Biennale and most recently, Katrín Sigurdardóttir’s national representation for Iceland at the Venice Biennale. This confirmation of the gallery’s clout by the art establishment is backed-up by a loyal following of collectors.

Augusto Arbizo sees the development of such long term relationships with collectors as vital to the ongoing success of the gallery: "They are key, as they become ambassadors for the program. We value their knowledge and they often become close personal friends, whether they are buying from us or another gallery."

Collectors can find Eleven Rivington at NADA Miami this December. Mr. Arbizo is looking forward to the relaxed and collegial environment of this fair which is aimed at strong young galleries which champion underexposed art. Solo booths by Aiko Hachisuka at the Armory Show, and Jeronimo Elespe at the Art Dealers Association of America show are lined-up for the spring of 2014.

by Kate Andrews

Kate Andrews is an Edinburgh-based writer, curator and founder of "JaAliceKlarr projects"; a cross-disciplinary curatorial collaboration.

Images via Eleven Rivington

More Information on Eleven Rivington

Galleries (40)

Futura Art Gallery — Pietrasanta, Italy

A gallery that unites established and emerging artists

Gianni Manhattan - Vienna, Austria

Young, International and Critically Astute

Misako & Rosen — Tokyo, Japan

Redefining the Conversation Around Aesthetics

Tiwani Contemporary – London, Great Britain

The London Gallery Promoting African Self-definition

Frutta Gallery — Rome, Italy

Understanding Tradition Without Hesitating to Break It

Contemporary Fine Arts – Berlin, Germany

From West to East and Back Again: a Berlin Institution That’s Made Its Mark

Bo Bjerggaard – Copenhagen, Denmark

Showcasing Figurative Painting With a Side of Communal Spirit

Pierre-Yves Caër Gallery – Paris, France

The Parisian gallery creating a home for Japanese artists in the European art market.

Blindspot Gallery — Hong Kong, China

Throwing a Spotlight on Local Artists

Vane – Newcastle upon Tyne, Great Britain

The Not-for-profit Space Offering Context And Critique In Newcastle

H’art Gallery — Bucharest, Romania

One of Bucharest’s Oldest Private-Run Galleries

LambdaLambda Lambda – Pristina, Kosovo

Mastering the Language in the Kosovan Capital

Deák Erika Galéria – Budapest, Hungary

Beyond Budapest’s Baths

The Breeder Gallery – Athens, Greece

Breeding New Forms in Athens

Tim Van Laere Gallery – Antwerp, Belgium

An autonomous gallery representing both upcoming and well-established artists

Kraupa-Tuskany Zeidler – Berlin, Germany

One of the most cutting-edge galleries in Berlin

Galerie Fons Welters – Amsterdam, The Netherlands

A Doorway to Amsterdam’s Contemporary Art

Bosse & Baum – London, United Kingdom

Ambitious perspectives in Peckham

TM51 – Oslo, Norway

Three Galleries in One – Oslo’s Most Accessible Space

mfc-michèle didier – Paris, France

A Space that Reflects the Artistic Discipline

V1 Gallery – Copenhagen, Denmark

Challenging the Boundaries of Art

Upstream Gallery – Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Tackling the Shift Between the Analog and Digital in a Post Internet World

Galerie Forsblom – Helsinki, Finland

Bringing international contemporary art to the Finnish capital

The Journal Gallery – New York, USA

Saving New York from Becoming a Sale-Focused Gallery Wasteland

Peres Projects – Berlin, Germany

Bridging the Gap Between Los Angeles and Berlin

Galeria OMR – Mexico City

Mexico City’s advocate for modern artistic tendencies and international contemporary art

LOYAL – Stockholm, Sweden

A Gallery that Pushes the Dialogue Around Young and International Art in Sweden’s Capital

Chimera-Project — Budapest, Hungary

Post-contemporary interest in aesthetics while eagerly re-constructing and defining traditions

La New Gallery — Madrid, Spain

Celebrating contemporary art in all its multi-faceted forms

Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery – Sydney, Australia

Her uncanny ability to recognize unique Pacific Rim talent

Take Ninagawa Gallery – Tokyo, Japan

Promoting emerging Japanese artists within a cross-generational, international framework

RaebervonStenglin – Zurich, Switzerland

It is much more about concepts, long conversations and long-term commitment

Galerie Emanuel Layr – Vienna, Austria

Finding the right chord among the various artists

Platform China – Beijing/Hongkong, China

This shows how much prejudgment there still is

Fluxia – Milan, Italy

Strive to discover new approaches in contemporary art

Gaudel de Stampa – Paris, France

“Discreet” seems to be the perfect adjective

NON – Istanbul, Turkey

The dawn of an era of collaboration

Vermelho – São Paulo, Brazil

There were no galleries open to a new generation of artists working in a nontraditional way

Ibid. – London, Great Britain

Rather than listing names