Iconic Art Dealer Marian Goodman Dies at 97

Image: from Il Giornale dell’Arte X@giornaledellArt

By Open Chronicle Culture Desk

NEW YORK — Marian Goodman, the trailblazing gallerist who bridged the gap between the European avant-garde and the American art market, died on Thursday, January 22, 2026, at the age of 97. Her family and the partners of the Marian Goodman Gallery confirmed she passed away from natural causes at a hospital in Los Angeles.

Over a career spanning more than six decades, Goodman became one of the most respected figures in the art world, known for her “unflappable” nature and a deep commitment to artists over market trends. She is credited with introducing many of the 20th century’s most significant European artists to U.S. audiences, including Gerhard Richter, Anselm Kiefer, and Maurizio Cattelan.

A Legacy of Cultural Exchange

Born in New York in 1928, Goodman’s path to art dealing was unconventional. After raising a family and studying art history at Columbia University, she founded Multiples, Inc. in 1965, publishing prints and books by legends like Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein.

In 1977, she opened her namesake gallery on 57th Street in Manhattan, at a time when very few women owned and operated major galleries. Her roster grew to include a prestigious list of global talent, such as:

• John Baldessari

• Nan Goldin

• William Kentridge

• Julie Mehretu

• Steve McQueen

Goodman’s approach was famously “humanistic,” seeking out artists with a critical sense of reality and civic life. Her influence eventually expanded globally, with gallery locations opening in Paris (1995), London (2014), and Los Angeles (2023). In 2024, she oversaw the relocation of her flagship New York gallery to a landmark building in Tribeca.

Tributes from the Art World

News of her passing prompted an outpouring of tributes from the artists she championed. Painter Julie Mehretu described Goodman as a “lioness” and “the epitome of strength, courage, power, and love.”

“She forged long-standing relationships with her artists and supported their practices within nonprofit and institutional realms,” the gallery’s partners said in a joint statement. “We are committed to carrying forward the values on which Marian founded the gallery.”

Goodman had officially stepped back from daily operations in 2021, appointing a team of partners to lead the gallery into the future. Her death marks the end of an era for a generation of gallerists who prioritized intellectual rigor and long-term artistic development over the speculative fervor of the modern art market.