New York branch of photography museum Fotografiska will close and relocate

The Church Missions House at 281 Park Avenue South in Manhattan, which has been home to Fotografiska New York for the past five years Photo by Eden, Janine and Jim, via Flickr
Fotografiska, the global network of photography museums, will close its location on Park Avenue in Manhattan on 29 September as it plots a move to a new, larger New York locale. The Stockholm-founded museum (which also operates locations in Berlin, Shanghai and Tallinn, the capital of Estonia) opened in New York in 2019, taking over the historic Church Missions House, an ornate 1892 building at the corner of Park Avenue South and East 22nd Street. (The building had previously been eyed by one purported German heiress as a possible location for her exclusive art and social club.)
The museum’s two final special exhibitions at 281 Park Avenue South—devoted to the enigmatic self-taught photographer Vivian Maier and the New York street photographer Bruce Gilden (opening 31 May and 21 June, respectively)—will remain on view until the space closes on 29 September. Meanwhile, Fotografiska’s popular bar inside a former chapel and its restaurant, Verōnika, will close in mid-June.
“At the core of Fotografiska is a dedication to inspiring new perspectives by amplifying some of the greatest artists of our time,” Yoram Roth, the executive chairman of Fotografiska’s board, said in a statement. “As it’s become clear that our current space is not conducive to this vision, our commitment to the city’s art scene remains unwavering.”
After closing its current locale, the museum will hold an exhibition chronicling a century of New York nightlife photography at a temporary space.
Fotografiska’s current home is owned by the real-estate tycoon and art collector Aby Rosen’s company, RFR Holding. In 2022, the company put the property up for sale for $135m, a major markup from the $50m it had paid for it in 2014.

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