Marian Goodman Gallery

Profile

Marian Goodman is hands-down one of the most influential and respected dealers of contemporary art in town, with a powerhouse stable of artists�many of whom are European stars she introduced to the States. With a no-nonsense reputation�and an utter lack of interest in the �scene��Goodman set the tone for her gallery when she opened it in the late �70s with the posthumous U.S. debut of the difficult Belgian conceptual artist Marcel Broodthaers. Her artists are challenging, many having already established their historical importance. Among them: German painter Gerhard Richter, whose recent mid-career retrospective at MoMA proved conceptual paintings can also win over the crowds; German Thomas Struth and Canadian Jeff Wall, some of the godfathers of contemporary photography; legendary mixed-media artist and satirist Thomas Schutte; French star and Hugo Boss prize-winner Pierre Huyghe, whose videos combine narrative and pop culture to haunting effect; and Maurizio Cattelan, perhaps best known for his Venice-Biennale installation of a likeness of the Pope struck down by a meteor. Goodman may be the chief reason to go to the 57th Street row. — Alex Mar