Kathryn Markel founded her eponymous gallery in New York City in 1976. Since the beginning, the gallery has advocated for work that is visually compelling, conceptually sophisticated, and unique in process. KMFA's artists are united by hard-won craft and the joy each finds in their studio practice.  From its inception the gallery has been dedicated to advancing the careers of women artists. Throughout the decades, both the gallery's roster and its management have remained majority women. Kathryn Markel Fine Arts is women-owned and operated, reflecting a commitment to fostering not only artists, but future dealers. 

 

  • Kathryn Markel studied art history at Northwestern University, where she fell in love with contemporary art. In 1971, after an...

    The Landfall Press Crew, 1972 (Kathryn bottom center)

    Kathryn Markel studied art history at Northwestern University, where she fell in love with contemporary art. In 1971, after an educational stint at a commercial gallery in Chicago, she began working at Landfall Press, a lithography workshop run by master printer Jack Lemon. She was Landfall’s primary salesperson and, for four years, traveled around the United States and Europe selling lithographs by Christo, Sol LeWitt, Philip Pearlstein, and many others. She recalls, “I’d drive around the United States and here I am, 5’1”, schlepping 60 pounds of art, and everyone would say, ‘What’s a little girl like you doing with a big portfolio like that?’ I learned so much about the art business and met so many wonderful people who were doing it well.”

  • Kathryn Markel moved to New York in 1975 to start her own business specializing in prints and unique works on paper, and in September 1976 established Kathryn Markel Fine Arts at 50 West 57th Street. Initially, the gallery participated in the familiar print market but quickly pivoted to working with emerging artists who created original works on paper. At the time, there were only three galleries with open-viewing policies for artists: Alan Stone, Ivan Karp, and Kathryn Markel. Monday was the day to look at art, and artists lined up in the hall outside the gallery to show her their work.  “I loved showing work by emerging artists,” she says, “because they cared if I sold their work. The world did not need another dealer selling prints by established artists. Following an artist’s career and learning about their process and motivations was much more interesting.” That commitment to emerging artists was evident early on. KMFA gave Richard Prince his first solo exhibition, featuring mixed-media works on paper.

  • During the 1980s, Kathryn cemented the gallery as a staple in the New York art scene and a home for...
    Kathryn at an Art Fair,  1980

    During the 1980s, Kathryn cemented the gallery as a staple in the New York art scene and a home for women artists. In 1985, the gallery was featured on a Guerrilla Girls poster titled Guerrilla Girls’ Hit List as a gallery that devoted a significant portion of its program to showing women artists. During the decade, Kathryn gave Takako Yamaguchi and Roz Chast their first gallery exhibitions and representation, and championed artists Barton Benes and Bonnie Lucas early in their careers. The gallery also exhibited work by Harmony Hammond and Hannelore Baron, among many others.

  • In 1986, the 57th Street gallery closed, and Kathryn joined forces with Macie Sears to form Markel Sears, working as private dealers and again specializing in works on paper. Primarily open by appointment, they sold art out of their home and later from a small space in SoHo. In 1999, the partnership ended and Kathryn reopened KMFA at 560 Broadway, where the gallery once again began hosting regular exhibitions.

  • In September of 2001, just after September 11, KMFA moved into its current space on 20th Street in Chelsea. Debra...

    Kathryn at an Arden Scott exhibition opening reception, 2009

    In September of 2001, just after September 11, KMFA moved into its current space on 20th Street in Chelsea. Debra Marcoux joined the gallery as director in 2004, and shortly thereafter the program expanded to include paintings as well as original works on paper. Debra’s beloved dog, Lulu, became a fixture at KMFA. Later, so did her two children, who spent their infancy in the gallery’s jerry-rigged nursery.

     

  • Over these years the gallery has, of course, changed and grown—slides gave way to pixels, and emails led to the...

    Kathryn at the Bridgehampton gallery

    Over these years the gallery has, of course, changed and grown—slides gave way to pixels, and emails led to the gallery’s long-running Picture of the Week. In 2010, KMFA opened a second location in Bridgehampton, where Kathryn spent her weekends introducing artists from the New York program to a Hamptons audience. In 2016, as Kathryn celebrated 40 years in business, the Chelsea gallery expanded, adding exhibition and office space. The Bridgehampton gallery closed in 2023 after 13 years, and a month later KMFA opened a second Chelsea location at 179 Tenth Avenue, doubling its footprint in the neighborhood and giving the gallery its first street-facing space.

  • But for all the changes, the basic vision of the gallery remains the same.  KMFA’s program is based on working with artists who create art that is visually compelling, conceptually substantial, and financially accessible. The gallery also has a distinct sensibility that favors abstract painting that is unabashedly beautiful, with a liberal but controlled use of color, a generosity of spirit, and what Kathryn terms a “Joie de Paint.” Kathryn says, “Each of our artists has their own agenda and a unique visual language for expressing it, but there is a common visual clarity. We look for painting that expresses that kind of clarity, a tension between control and accident, and a joy in the sensuality of color and surface. We love a complex structured abstraction based on perceived reality and representational art that is informed by principles of abstraction.”

     

    “My career as an art dealer has been based on the premise that contemporary art can be substantial and rigorous, visually accessible and affordable. Any idiot with a million dollars can buy great art—the challenge is in buying art that a normal person will want to live with and can afford, that is, at the same time, serious and significant.

     

    “I sell what I like. I don’t want to understand art—I want to feel it. Castelli said it when he first saw Jasper Johns, I want to feel ‘un coup de foudre’ (love at first sight). I like to sell work by artists who are alive and care if I send them a check. I always say my favorite time of year is February when I do 1099s for the artists and see how much money I’ve given them over the year.”

     

  • “It’s been a fun 50 years. When I look back I think, ‘How many openings have I had? How much...

    Kathryn at the 20th Street gallery, 2026

    “It’s been a fun 50 years. When I look back I think, ‘How many openings have I had? How much bad white wine have I served? How many drunk people have come in and out just for the wine?’ But it’s been fun. It’s always been fun to work with artists. They’re always surprising you. That’s why I only want to deal with live artists, because dead artists don’t surprise you anymore. It’s always fun to have artists surprise you with how they grow and change in a way that is, in retrospect, inevitable. As a dealer I could never be able to predict which direction they’re going to go in next, but after I see it I think, ‘Of course!’”

    Kathryn Markel

     

  • After more than 20 years of working alongside Kathy, I am still inspired by her curiosity, commitment, and vision. As the art world evolves, I think one thing will remain true: there is no substitute for experiencing art in person. That’s why we’ve continued to invest in physical gallery space and maintained a robust inventory on site. Kathy has always believed in creating opportunities—for artists to exhibit their work and for people to discover it. I believe that will continue to define the gallery for years to come.

    Debra Marcoux, Director

     

     

    More information about the 50th Anniversary and accompanying exhibtion can be found here.