Art gallery Altman Siegel, a pillar of the Bay Area arts world that championed conceptual art for the past 16 years, will close Nov. 22, citing financial struggles amid a contracting art market, according to its founder and director Claudia Altman-Siegel.
“It is with both pride and sadness that I announce that Altman Siegel will close its doors to the public,” Altman-Siegel said on the gallery’s website (opens in new tab) Wednesday. “As it has become too difficult for a gallery this size to scale in this climate, I have made the incredibly tough decision to close rather than diminish either the space or the commitment to exhibit conceptually uncompromising work.”
Altman-Siegel founded the gallery in 2009 in Union Square. In 2016, the gallery relocated to its current 5,000-square-foot space at the Minnesota Street Project in the Dogpatch. Last year, it hosted a pop-up gallery for six months in Presidio Heights. Since 2009, the gallery has presented at more than 200 exhibitions and participated in some of the world’s biggest art fairs.
In addition to representing Bay Area artists, Altman Siegel made a name for itself nationally for its uncompromising, often heady, conceptual programming and by backing a roster of young and established artists alike.
“Each chapter allowed the gallery to take risks, experiment, and keep pace with the evolving practices of our artists,” Altman-Siegel said in her statement.
Altman-Siegel did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the closure.
The news comes as yet another blow to the San Francisco art world, following the closure of KADIST, a world-renowned gallery in the Mission, in June, and the shuttering of Gallery 16 after 32 years.
Wendi Norris, who runs her eponymous gallery in Jackson Square and is a keen observer of the art market, expressed devastation at the news. “Gut-wrenching is the first word that came to mind for me,” she said. “There are few galleries that operate at their level in the San Francisco community, and I’m proud to call her a colleague.”
Aimee Le Duc, executive director of campus experience at the Minnesota Street Project, which manages the property where Altman Siegel is among the tenants, said the organization did not have an immediate tenant to take over the space, but would strongly prioritize seeking another arts institution.
“We want to make sure that we have the right tenant, so we’re exploring different options,” she said.
Altman Siegel’s final show, “It is not far to the sea,” featuring new works by Japanese painter Shinpei Kusanagi, will run through Nov. 15.