Art Basel Awards First-Ever Gallery Legacy Award to Paula Cooper Gallery
The inaugural Gallery Legacy Award has been granted to Paula Cooper Gallery by Art Basel, honoring the New York gallery's significant impact on contemporary art over nearly sixty years. The accolade was presented at the 2026 Art Basel Awards Medalists Dinner held at Safran Zunft in Basel. Established in 1968 by Paula Cooper as SoHo's first gallery, it played a pivotal role in promoting Minimalism and Conceptual Art, showcasing artists like Sol LeWitt, Donald Judd, and Cecily Brown. Its first exhibition supported the anti-Vietnam War movement. As part of the award, Paula Cooper Gallery chose Chapter NY to receive up to $50,000 for participation in Art Basel Basel 2027. The award trophy, crafted by Jacques Herzog with Glassworks Matteo Gonet, features hand-blown clear glass resembling a suspended breath. This award is a component of the Art Basel Awards initiative, which began in 2025, and was selected by an international jury from various regions.
Key facts
- Paula Cooper Gallery received the first-ever Art Basel Gallery Legacy Award in 2026.
- The award was presented at the Art Basel Awards Medalists Dinner at Safran Zunft in Basel.
- Paula Cooper Gallery was founded in 1968 as the first gallery in SoHo, New York.
- The gallery's inaugural exhibition was a benefit for the anti–Vietnam War movement.
- Represented artists include Sol LeWitt, Donald Judd, Joel Shapiro, Christian Marclay, Rudolf Stingel, Cecily Brown, Lynda Benglis, Mark di Suvero, Walid Raad, and Tauba Auerbach.
- Paula Cooper Gallery selected Chapter NY as an emerging gallery to receive up to $50,000 for Art Basel Basel 2027.
- The award trophy was designed by Jacques Herzog and Glassworks Matteo Gonet.
- The Art Basel Awards initiative was launched in 2025.
Entities
Artists
- Paula Cooper
- Sol LeWitt
- Donald Judd
- Joel Shapiro
- Christian Marclay
- Rudolf Stingel
- Cecily Brown
- Lynda Benglis
- Mark di Suvero
- Walid Raad
- Tauba Auerbach
- Alan Shields
- Vera List
- Gary Kuehn
- Jacques Herzog
- Nicole Russo
- Jesse Darling
- Rene Matić
- Jenny Holzer
- Barbara Kruger
- Pamela Joyner
Institutions
- Paula Cooper Gallery
- Art Basel
- Chapter NY
- Glassworks Matteo Gonet
- Safran Zunft
- Whitewall
- Student Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam
Locations
- Basel
- Switzerland
- New York
- SoHo
- United States
- Europe
- North America
- Middle East
- Asia
- Miami Beach
- Turin
- India