Artnet: South Africa’s Goodman Gallery Arrives in New York
South Africa’s Goodman Gallery Arrives in New York Bearing Artworks by William Kentridge, Candice Breitz, and More
Owner Liza Essers talked to Artnet News about the broader strategy behind the veteran gallery’s latest move.
When Goodman Gallery director Liza Essers touched down in New York at the start of September, it wasn’t as part of the hundreds of international galleries flocking to the city to exhibit at the annual Armory Show.
Essers had taken an 18-hour flight from Cape Town, South Africa, instead to inaugurate a New York office and exhibition space, one that was a long time in discussion and planning. All of that work came to fruition with the 67th Street space’s opening on September 6, when it unveiled an inaugural presentation that is a dynamic mix of some of the gallery’s—not to mention the art world’s—most famous names.
Artists represented in the show include Candice Breitz, the late photographer David Goldblatt, and art star William Kentridge, alongside Kapwani Kiwanga, who will represent Canada at the next Venice Biennale, and Sue Williamson, whose major show at the Barnes in Philadelphia wrapped in May (“Sue Williamson & Lebohang Kganye: Tell Me What You Remember”).
The gallery’s latest outpost marks a strategic addition to its spaces in Johannesburg and Cape Town, alongside a gallery space in London, which was launched in 2019.