It is with both pride and sadness that I announce that Altman Siegel will close its doors to the public on November 22, 2025. As it has become too difficult for a gallery this size to scale in this climate, I have made the incredibly tough decision to close rather than diminish either the space or the commitment to exhibit conceptually uncompromising work.
The gallery has served as a valuable local platform for international conversations. Over the past 16 years, Altman Siegel has been proud to cultivate a program of prominent Bay Area artists and introduce international artists to San Francisco for the first time. The artists amplified by the gallery program create radical moments in art history. Whether they highlight social issues, respond to difficult questions about society or rethink traditional subjects and mediums, Altman Siegel has strived to exhibit artists who ask urgent questions and force the viewer to think in a new way. Our artists have participated in major exhibitions and biennials, entered significant institutional collections, and received global recognition.
When I moved to San Francisco in 2007, I encountered a city defined by exceptional museums, a rigorous community of artists, and a handful of dedicated galleries. I was inspired by the entrepreneurial spirit and the counterculture of the Bay Area and felt compelled to contribute to its cultural fabric. A short time later, I opened my first exhibition downtown at 49 Geary, A Wild Night and A New Road, a group show titled after an Emily Dickinson poem. From those beginnings, the gallery quickly grew. Many exhibitions and events followed until, in 2016, we relocated to our current 5,000-square-foot space at Minnesota Street Project in Dogpatch. Later, in 2024, we expanded to a Presidio Heights venue for more intimate presentations. Each chapter allowed the gallery to take risks, experiment, and keep pace with the evolving practices of our artists. Now, 213 exhibitions and art fairs later, the project is coming to a close.
The gallery has provided hundreds of moments to experience humanity at its finest. A few weeks ago, Liam Everett came to the gallery to see Lynn Hershman Leeson’s show of new work. I found him standing astounded in the gallery, where I joined him, both of us thrilling at the fact that we were looking at images, the likes of which we had never seen before. We were spontaneously joined by the gallery team, and we spent several minutes dissecting the work and discussing the implications of technology and immortality, the art historical precedents of this body of work, feminism, and more. This is an example of the small moments of connection that have defined Altman Siegel. It underscores that while the art market can be relentless, the true heart of this project has always been ideas, community, and joy. My hope is that the gallery has brought you as much inspiration as it has brought me.
I would like to thank the Bay Area community, who have wholeheartedly supported the gallery.
To my extraordinary staff, past and present, and the many freelancers and interns who dedicated their time and energy—thank you. The gallery has been fortunate to retain a core team over the years, a reflection of the collaborative spirit we built together. This project was yours as much as it was mine.
And to the artists who generously shared their practices with us, thank you for your brilliance, your trust, and your partnership.
As we present our final exhibition of new work by Shinpei Kusanagi, which will run through November 2025, I invite you to join me in celebrating everything we built together.
With gratitude,
Claudia Altman-Siegel