After 35 years of business, Kasmin Gallery in New York is closing. The gallery will now begin planning to a new venture called Olney Gleason, a gallery led by Nick Olney, who has been led by Kasmin’s president and senior director Eric Gleason since 2020 and senior director Eric Gleason since 2013.
Both men are deeply rooted in Kasmin. Olney joined in 2007 after six years at the Berggruen Gallery in San Francisco. Gleason started his career in Marlborough, meeting Olney in 2010 and officially joined the gallery in 2013.
Orny told Artnews. “Olney Gleason is a different ship, launched from the same port, but on a new route.”
This course is a help chart by Paul Kasmin. Before his death in 2020, the founder discussed with Olney what might be the transition to what Olney Gleason might look like. The plan is always there. There is no fixed time to be the time.
“We had a conversation when Paul was alive,” Olney said. “What we are doing now fits with the earlier discussions and the estate is fully supportive.”
“While we regret that this chapter is coming to an end, I thank Nick, Eric and the entire team for building an amazing organization for them with Paul and their commitment to respecting his legacy over the past five years,” said Olivia Kasmin, one of Paul’s daughters. Artnews. “I’m confident that Paul will be happy that the spirit of the gallery will continue. We hope Nick and Eric will go well in this exciting new chapter.”
Born in London in 1960, Paul Kasmin grew up surrounded by artists associated with his father’s legendary dealer John Kasmin. He opened his own gallery in Soho in 1989, then moved to Chelsea for a decade, eventually establishing three exhibition spaces, including the main gallery at 509 West 27th Street. In 2018, the gallery was renamed Kasmin.
Its roster bridges generations and disciplines, and the program includes surrealist masters and contemporary sculptors. Early Kasmin artists include Walton Ford, Jamie Nares and Elliot Puckette. They continue to stay in the lineup, and are now counted as historical artists such as Leonor Fini, Dorothea Tanning, Robert Motherwell, Robert Indiana and James Rosenquist.
Kasmin has been actively building its lineup of artists and estates in recent years. In September 2024, the gallery began to represent Jackson Pollock through the Pollock-Krasner Foundation. Since 2020, the gallery has also added a list of Diana Al Hadid, Ali Banisadr and Vanessa German, and has staged a show by LeS Lalanne and Bosco Sodi.
A representative of Olney Gleason refused to designate which Casmine artist will list in the Olney Gleason lineup, he said, an announcement of the plan will be announced soon.
The turning point for Kasmin Gallery is in the overlapping crisis of 2020. When New York was locked, its naming dealer died. As Olney said, it was a “perfect storm of change.” The gallery suddenly turned into leadership changes, a global pandemic and uncertain markets.
“That moment was thrilling,” Olney said. “It forced us to reevaluate, adapt, and really think about what kind of gallery we want to be. In many ways, in recent years, it’s the perfect lab that refines and proves that we want to work. It gives us confidence.”
This confidence is reflected in the new gallery’s lineup. Olney Gleason will hold his first exhibition in Chelsea this fall and has a roster of about 25 artists and estates. The gallery’s founder said about 80% of the artists and estates who joined Olney Gleason have begun working with Kasmin over the past five years.
“In recent years, we have been very focused on contemporary art,” Olney said. “This will continue. But we are also interested in the historical work of telling the art that we are doing now. We want to have a dialogue between the 20th and 21st centuries.”
Gleason responded to this view: “Kasmin’s plan has evolved dramatically over the past five years. Olney Gleason is the next step in this evolution. But we are still committed to intergenerational dialogue, which has always been a hallmark of us.”
Both Olney and Gleason talk about the need to build something that lasts, not just galleries, but a culture. As Olney said, representing artists is not a 9-5 job. This is a way of life.
“It’s an opportunity to take advantage of all the experiences we have – good, bad, frustrating, forming people and building the gallery we want to be,” Olney said. “We have the rare opportunity to start from scratch, ask: What should be a gallery today?”
This issue is especially important in the ever-changing market. A generational transformation is underway, and Olney Gleason hopes to be part of what shapes what will happen next.
“There is a new generation of collectors, dealers and artists,” Gleason said. “We want to be leaders in this generation. We want to help define its value.”
“Functionally, the gallery has always been artist-centric,” Gleason added. “Our responsibility is to provide artists with the resources they need to develop their practices and add meaningful lines to their resumes. The industry is beginning to recognize the importance of this model, and I think we will see a shift to it.”
Although the gallery is new, its identity has been formed for years, Olney said.
“We are so grateful to the community that made Casmin a reality,” Olney said. “Paul, artist, team – it’s an honor. Next is a tribute to all of this.”
