Bodley Gallery

The Bodley Gallery was a prominent art gallery in New York City, United States, from the late 1940s through the early 1980s. The Bodley specialized in contemporary and modern art. David Mann was director of the gallery during its heyday and Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Braun (a.k.a. Georgie Duffee), were the owners.

Upper East Side haven for new and modern art

Several of Andy Warhol's earliest exhibitions in New York were at the Bodley during the 1950s, starting with two in 1956. David Mann, the Bodley's director, had previously been manager of the Hugo Gallery, assistant to director Alexander Iolas, when the Hugo mounted Warhol's first solo exhibition in 1952    . Apparently David Mann was not the first director of the Bodley Gallery, which seems to have existed already in the late 1940s; but the period of David Mann's directorship includes the most important years of the Bodley's existence, judging from exhibition catalog records and other published historical material. According to at least one source, Mann was still director of the Bodley as late as 1981. 

Max Ernst had a major solo exhibition at the Bodley Gallery in 1961, after his works were exhibited together with those of Yves Tanguy in a 1960 Bodley Gallery show. Also in 1960, Roberto Matta had a solo show at the Bodley, entitled "Matta, from 1942 to 1957". Many other notable artists had showings at the Bodley under Mr. Mann's directorship, including Victor Brauner, Charles Bunnell, Clarence Holbrook Carter, Thomas Chimes, Louis Delsarte, Jane Frank, Charlotte Gilbertson, Eugenio Granell, Shirley Hendrick, Hank Laventhol,  Mina Loy, Larry Rivers, Ethel Schwabacher, Bettina Shaw-Lawrence, Thomas Sills, and Ahmed Yacoubi.

Although the gallery emphasized the work of living artists, exhibits were not limited to such works - as evidenced by its showing of paintings by Tanguy in 1960, and by the exhibition catalogue listed below for a 1970 show including works of René Magritte, who had died in 1967. A 1971 exhibition entitled "Modern Master Drawings" included works by  Klee, Léger, Matisse, and Picasso. The Bodley exhibition record, as evidenced by listed catalogues, shows a general preponderance of surrealists (including Jorge Noceda Sanchez) among the artists featured.

Early Warhol exhibitions at the Bodley Gallery

"Drawings for a Boy-Book" : February 14 - March 3, 1956 
"The Golden Slipper Show or Shoes Shoe in America" : December 3–22, 1956 
"A Show of Golden Pictures" : December 2–24, 1957 
"Wild Raspberries" : December 1–24, 1959

Location

According to many sources (including warholstars.com and the 1961 Max Ernst  exhibition catalogue listed below), the Bodley Gallery was located (through the 1950s and until at least November 1963, according to the catalogue for a 1963 Jane Frank show) at 223 East 60th Street, in Manhattan's wealthy Upper East Side neighborhood. This would place it between Second and Third Avenues. Presently the storefront is occupied by Dejavu Boutique & Gallery, a luxury fashion boutique selling mostly European clothing. To acknowledge the building’s past, the boutique preserved the 2nd floor of the space as an Art Gallery to showcase artwork by established artists and the interior is lined with décor by Mackenzie-Childs.

As of no later than April 1964, the Bodley Gallery had relocated to 787 Madison Avenue (an ad on page 15 of the April 1964 issue of Art in America gives this address). This put it in an even more exclusive section of the Upper East Side, at Madison and 67th Street. That is now the address of Jacadi, which sells upscale children's clothing.

A third address, 1063 Madison Avenue (at 80th Street), seems to have been in effect by about 1975, if not earlier (but no earlier than 1967; see references and external links). 1063 Madison is now the address of a women's fashion boutique called Agnes B.

It is possible, of course, that the Bodley owned or rented more than one location simultaneously.

See also

Andy Warhol
Max Ernst
Rene Magritte
Yves Tanguy
Mina Loy
Jane Frank
Roberto Gari
Stephen Polin
Louis Delsarte
Bettina Shaw-Lawrence
Joseph Wolins
Jorge Noceda Sanchez
Thomas Sills

References

Books
Art in America, Vol. 52, no. 2, April 1964.  (advertisement on page 15 gives the second of the three known addresses: 787 Madison Avenue)
Bodley Gallery (New York, N.Y.) Max Ernst : paintings, collages, drawings, sculpture : October 30-November 25, 1961 : Bodley Gallery, 223 East 60, New York (exhibition catalogue and commentary; published by the gallery, 1961) OCLC 54157692
Bodley Gallery (New York, N.Y.) Modern master drawings 1971 : [exhibition] February 16-March 6, 1971 (New York, N.Y. : The Gallery, 1971) OCLC: 37498294
Bodley Gallery (New York, N.Y.) [http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/83413477&referer=brief_results Thomas Sills: February 29 -March 11, 1972]
 Bodley Gallery (New York, N.Y.) Matta, from 1942 to 1957 (New York : Bodley Gallery, 1960) OCLC 78760494
Bodley Gallery (New York, N.Y.) Granell (New York : The Gallery, 1965) OCLC 78760528
Victor Brauner : paintings, encaustics, drawings ; 1932 - 1959 / Bodley Gallery <New York, NY> New York, 1961. – 2 Faltbl. : zahlr. Ill. (See "external links" for electronic record of this catalog in German archive.)
Carter, Clarence Holbrook; James A. Michener;  Gimpel & Weitzenhoffer (New York, N.Y.);  Bodley Gallery (New York, N.Y.) Clarence Carter : a joint exhibition 30 April through 1 June, 1974 Gimpel & Weitzenhiffer Gallery ... and Bodley Gallery (New York : Gimpel & Weitzenhoffer)
 Ernst, Max;  René Magritte;  Bodley Gallery (New York, N.Y.) Max Ernst, Magritte : February 17-March 14, 1970 (New York : Bodley Gallery) OCLC: 18858894
 Frank, Jane. Jane Frank (pub. New York, N.Y. : Bodley Gallery, 1963) [gives address as 223 East 60th street, with exhibition dates given as Oct. 22 - Nov. 9th]. OCLC 80892120 (Also available at MICA: see 'External links' for access help.)
 Gilbertson, Charlotte; Bodley Gallery (New York, N.Y.); Charlotte Gilbertson (exhibition): Bodley Gallery, New York City (New York : The Gallery, 1971) OCLC 10480617
 Hausman, Fred. Hausman, the human pattern II : (exhibition), Bodley Gallery, 787 Madison Avenue, New York City, October 24-November 5, 1966 (New York : The Gallery, 1966) OCLC: 14274993
Loy, Mina; and Julien Levy. Constructions, April 14-25, 1959 (New York : Bodley Gallery, 1959) OCLC: 11251843
 Perutz, Dolly; Bodley Gallery (New York, N.Y.). Dolly Perutz : (1908-1979) : the last 25 years of her work : sculpture·graphics·encaustics : January 27 through February 14, 1981 : Bodley Gallery. (New York : The Gallery, 1981) OCLC 80195043
 Schwabacher, Ethel;  Jeanne Reynal;  Bodley Gallery (New York, N.Y.) Of people : Ethel Schwabacher, pastels : Jeanne Reynal, mosaics. (New York : Bodley Gallery, 1976) OCLC: 48706042
Stanton, Phoebe B., "The Sculptural Landscape of Jane Frank" (A.S. Barnes: South Brunswick, New Jersey, and New York City, 1968)  (The book lists two exhibitions for Jane Frank at the Bodley Gallery, in 1963 and 1967).
"Goings On About Town." The New Yorker Vol. 51, May 5, 1975, p. 8a; listing exhibition "through May 17th" and shows the gallery's location at 1063 Madison Ave at 80th.)

Other
"What's New in Art", The New York Times; Sunday, April 2, 1967; listing art openings for Monday (April 3) including "JANE FRANK - Bodley Gallery, 787 Madison Avenue. Paintings. To April 21." (This verifies that the gallery was still located at 787 Madison Avenue as late as April 1967.)

External links
Andy Warhol art chronology at warholstars.org
Larry Rivers Catalogue at artnet.com. This page lists reviews for Larry Rivers, including "Bodley gallery,  Art International,  v. 21. December, 1977, p. 73. "
Yves Tanguy expositions (website in French: under Tanguy exhibitions for 1960, this pages lists "New York, Bodley Gallery. Yves Tanguy. Max Ernst'', 18 janvier - 13 février.)
Obituary of Eugenio Granell in Britain's The Guardian newspaper (November 10, 2001) recording that "Granell showed in numerous group and one-man exhibitions at the Bodley Gallery and the Museum of Modern Art..."
Auction catalogue from Tajan, Paris, showing Victor Brauner mixed media work with provenance information including: "Expositions: Victor Brauner, Bodley Gallery, New York 1961." (This is a pdf file: see pp. 74–75)
Zentralinstitut für Kunstgeschichte - OPAC: German archive listing of exhibition catalogue: "Victor Brauner : paintings, encaustics, drawings ; 1932 - 1959" / Bodley Gallery; New York, 1961.
Steven Glucksberg profile page, listing a 1975 show at the "Bodley Gallery, Madison Avenue"
Stephen Polin bio listing Oct. 1978 exhibition at "BODLEY GALLERY 1063 Madison Avenue, N,Y, (80th St.) 10028"
Another Stephen Polin exhibition, September 1975, Bodley Gallery, "1063 Madison Avenue".
Essie Pinsker website, listing a 1981 exhibition at the Bodley Gallery, with "David Mann, Director"
Maryland Institute College of Art, vertical file listings: includes copies of the catalogue for the 1963 Jane Frank show, verifying gallery address as of Nov. 1963.
Artnet.com: information on Charles Bunnell (Charles Ragland Bunnell), another important artist who had a solo show at the Bodley Gallery (in 1955)
Dolly Perutz artwork ad, describing a verso that reads "Bodley Gallery/1063 Madison Avenue, New York"
Information on the artist Thomas Chimes at the Philadelphia Museum of Art: "By the early 1960s Chimes had enjoyed successful solo shows at the Avant-Garde and Bodley Galleries in New York, resulting in sales to many prominent collectors. Alfred H. Barr, Jr. purchased two of his paintings for the Museum of Modern Art’s collection in 1961 and 1963 respectively...."
Alfred H. Barr, Jr. papers in the Museum of Modern Art Archives, listing file headed "Mann, David (Bodley Gallery)" in section 1.510, mf 2196:1179

Category:Contemporary art galleries in the United States
Category:Cultural history of New York City
Category:Defunct art galleries in Manhattan