New York Galleries Go Virtual Amid Pandemic

With physical gallery closures due to COVID-19, New York galleries have shifted to online viewing rooms. Hauser & Wirth launched its first online exhibition on March 25, featuring Louise Bourgeois drawings, accompanied by artist videos. David Zwirner, which has offered virtual shows since 2017, initiated Platform, a collective viewing room with 12 galleries running from April 3 to May 1, later expanding globally. Pace Gallery opened its previously private viewing rooms to the public, currently featuring seven shows including Saul Steinberg's 'Imagined Interiors' and James Turrell installations. Lehmann Maupin presents 'Power Wall' with Nari Ward and Robin Rhode, viewable online alongside its Hong Kong physical show. Smaller gallery Fort Gansevoort launched a weekly series 'Seeing Through You' starting with 'A cloud in a box,' featuring seven artists from Berlin, Los Angeles, Santiago, Stockholm, and Tel Aviv. The trend follows Art Basel's move to online viewing rooms after canceling its Hong Kong fair.