Rotenberg Gallery to close June 19

Judi Rotenberg Gallery on Newbury Street in Boston plans to close on June 19, executive director and owner Abigail Ross Goodman says in a e-mail sent out tonight.

Judi Rotenberg rented a basement space on Newbury Street and began selling her paintings out on the sidewalk in 1970. The following year, she moved into her storefront at 130 Newbury St. She passed the business on to Ross Goodman in 2001 (several months before Judi's husband and Abigail's father Richard Ross was killed on one of the planes that crashed into the World Trade Center on 9/11). Ross Goodman and director Kristen Dodge re-energized the gallery, turning it into one of the sharpest venues in town by presenting a mix of cutting edge work by local younger artists (Ria Brodell, Dave Cole, Sheila Gallagher, Brian Knep, Douglas Weathersby) as well as established local painters (Zygmund Jankowski, Jason Berger) more connected with the gallery's roots.

This is a major loss for Boston and another sign of the decline of the Newbury Street gallery district, which has lost a number of prominent galleries when they closed (Nielsen, Pepper, Goldman) or moved (Yezerski, Chase) in the past few years.

The entire text of Ross Goodman's e-mail is below:

Dear Friends,

It is with bittersweet emotions that I write to tell you that the gallery will be closing on June 19, 2010. The judi rotenberg gallery has been a 40-year partnership with truly great artists and with wonderful friends like you.

The ten years of my stewardship have been incredibly rewarding, and my profound gratitude goes out to every single member of our community for your support. I am so proud of everything that we have accomplished together. You have brought your enthusiasm and energy to our projects and you helped create a space for meaningful encounters with art and within the artistic community.

I will continue my deep engagement with the art world in new ways. I have learned from my artists: you have to keep inventing.

I hope you will join us for our final shows, Man Up which opens on April 29 and All This & More which opens on May 26, and that you will visit us in the next few weeks.

Warmly and deepest gratitude,

Abigail Ross Goodman