Founded in 2011, MARC STRAUS is defined by a rigorous commitment to discovering new talent and revitalizing the careers of historically significant, yet often overlooked, artists. The gallery has a proven track record of catalyzing artist trajectories. In 2012, MARC STRAUS was the first to bring Jeffrey Gibson's work to the primary market. Following her US gallery debut here in 2021, Anne Samat has had more than ten solo exhibitions worldwide. Marton Nemes, who represented Hungary at the 2024 Venice Biennale, was introduced to the US market by the gallery. Additionally, established artists such as Hermann Nitsch and Sandro Chia have found renewed critical attention and fresh audiences through their exhibitions with us. Today, MARC STRAUS represents a dynamic and diverse roster of over 31 contemporary artists from 18 nations. Works by MARC STRAUS artists are held in the permanent collections of over 80 prestigious institutions worldwide, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, MoMA, The Guggenheim, the Whitney Museum of American Art, Musée National d'Art Moderne (Centre Pompidou), and the Tate.
Our artists are regular fixtures in major global exhibitions and biennials, including Venice, Prague, Sharjah, Kochi, Sydney, and Gwangju, as well as Prospect New Orleans, SITE Santa Fe, and the Asia Society Triennial. To support this global reach, the gallery maintains a rigorous international presence at premier art fairs such as The Armory Show, EXPO Chicago, Art Basel Miami Beach, Art SG (Singapore), and ZONA MACO (Mexico City).
The gallery occupies a four-story building on Grand Street on the Lower East Side. In October 2024, MARC STRAUS expanded its New York footprint, opening a second 4,000-square-foot space at 57 Walker Street in Tribeca. To mark the gallery's 15th anniversary in March 2026, MARC STRAUS began a transformative new chapter by merging with Swivel Gallery and welcoming its founder, Graham Wilson, as the gallery's first partner. This intergenerational partnership marries Straus's established international roster with Wilson's fresh perspective and dynamic program of rising younger artists, including Simon Benjamin, Amy Bravo, and Alejandro Garcia Contreras. The combined vision of these two programs debuts together at EXPO Chicago in April 2026.
About the Founder
The gallery's unique perspective is deeply rooted in the vision of its eponymous founder, Marc Straus. A poet, writer, and former Professor of Medicine and Chair of Oncology at New York Medical College, Straus practiced medical oncology for 35 years before fully dedicating himself to the gallery. His approach to the market is heavily influenced by his decades as a deeply engaged collector of contemporary art, supporting artists at the earliest stages of their careers. His personal collection has been the subject of 13 museum exhibitions. In 2002, he and his wife, Livia, founded Hudson Valley MOCA in Peekskill, NY - a multicultural, economically challenged small city that has since undergone a renaissance as an arts destination.