Angela Westwater at 257 Bowery, 2020, photo by Alexei Hay

Angela Westwater co-founded Sperone Westwater Fischer in 1975 with Italian art dealer Gian Enzo Sperone and German gallerist Konrad Fischer, opening a space at 142 Greene Street in SoHo, New York. (The gallery's name was changed to Sperone Westwater in 1982.) An additional space was later established at 121 Greene Street. The founders' original program showcased a European avant-garde alongside a core group of American artists to whom its founders were committed.

Notable early exhibitions include a 1977 show of minimalist works by Carl Andre, Dan Flavin, Donald Judd, and Sol Lewitt; seven of Bruce Nauman's seminal early shows; six early Gerhard Richter shows; two Cy Twombly exhibitions in 1982 and 1989; eleven Richard Long exhibitions; and the installation of one of Mario Merz's celebrated glass and neon igloos in 1979 -- part of the gallery's ongoing dedication to Arte Povera artists, including Alighiero Boetti. Other early historical exhibitions at the Greene Street space include a 1989 group show, "Early Conceptual Works," which featured the work of On Kawara, Bruce Nauman, Alighiero Boetti, and Joseph Kosuth, among others; a 1999 Fontana exhibition titled "Gold: Gothic Masters and Lucio Fontana"; and selected presentations of work by Piero Manzoni. From May 2002 to May 2010, the gallery was located at 415 West 13 Street, in a 10,000-square foot space in the Meatpacking District. In September 2010, Sperone Westwater inaugurated a new Foster + Partners designed building at 257 Bowery. Today, over 45 years after its conception, the gallery continues to exhibit an international roster of prominent artists working in a wide variety of media.

Artists represented by Sperone Westwater include Bertozzi & Casoni, Joana Choumali, Kim Dingle, Shaunté Gates, Jitish Kallat, Guillermo Kuitca, Wolfgang Laib, Helmut Lang, Amy Lincoln, Richard Long, Emil Lukas, David Lynch, Heinz Mack, Mario Merz, Katy Moran, Malcolm Morley, Bruce Nauman, Otto Piene, Alexis Rockman, Susan Rothenberg, Tom Sachs, Peter Sacks, Andrew Sendor, and William Wegman. Past exhibitions, press, and artworks can be found on the gallery website.

Born in Columbus, Ohio, Westwater received her BA from Smith College and her MA from New York University. She arrived in New York City in 1971 and landed her first job as a “gallery girl” at the John Weber Gallery at 420 West Broadway. From 1972 to 1975, she served as Managing Editor of Artforum magazine. In 1975, the same year the gallery was founded, Westwater was appointed to the Board of Trustees of The Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation, where she has served as President since 1980.

The books mentioned in the interview are The Free World, Art and Thought in the Cold War by Louis Menand and A Life of Picasso, The Minotaur Years by John Richardson.

Joana Choumali, Untitled (Ça Va Aller), 2019, mixed media, 9 1/2 x 9 1/2 inches (24 x 24 cm), 16 1/4 x 16 1/4 inches (41,3 x 41,3 cm)

Joana Choumali, WE ARE STILL NOW, 2022, mixed media, 4 parts; 38 1/2 x 78 inches (97,8 x 198,1 cm)