Kootz gallery new york city

Founded in 1945 by Samuel Kootz, a motion picture account executive, at 15 East 57th Street and closing in 1966 at its relocation of 600 Madison Avenue, it became one of the premier New York art galleries. It has the lasting importance of introducing the American public to Abstract Expressionism. Clement Greenberg, "New York Times" art critic and promoter of that style, worked closely with the Kootz Gallery by writing promotional reviews and sending emerging artists to the venue. Among the artists whose reputations grew from being represented by the Gallery were Hans Hofmann, Adolph Gottlieb, Robert Motherwell, William Baziotes, and Mark Rothko. Of Kootz, it was written that he "attempted to imbue his gallery shows with a sense of grandeur, as if each one was a true cultural event." Kootz closed his gallery because of dismay at what he regarded as the takeover of art promotion by "merchants". Source: http://www.theartstory.org/gallery-kootz.htm