New Museum's Bowery Move Spurs Lower East Side Gallery Boom with Foster-Designed Sperone Westwater

The New Museum's relocation to the Bowery catalyzed a Lower East Side gallery boom, creating a more intimate alternative to Chelsea and Williamsburg. Norman Foster designed Sperone Westwater's new black box building at 100 by 25 feet, featuring a dynamic glass front and a movable elevator room that displays Guillermo Kuitca's 1992 mattress installation Le Sacre. The gallery moved from the Meat Packing District, replacing a vintage machinery rental company. Foster's vertical design contrasts with Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa's stacked cubes for the nearby New Museum. Two other galleries opened this month: Dodge Gallery at 15 Rivington Street presents Dave Cole's Unreal City installation starting October 2, while Hendershot Gallery at 195 Chrystie Street launches with the group show Digression featuring seven women under 40 including Kenya (Robinson). Kuitca's retrospective concludes at the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington DC on October 21. Lehmann Maupin established a Chrystie Street branch in late 2007.