NOW

Over the years, Eyal Beloosesky has cleverly shifted his gallery’s location. He started on 87th Street, next door to Doyle. In 2014, he moved to 72nd Street, within spitting distance of Sotheby’s. With each relocation, the gallery has been able to feed off the foot traffic that comes from both of these well-known auction houses. Eyal’s partner Glenn Spellman, who has been working in the art world since 1989, concurs that these post-auction crowds are a big reason why the gallery has received so many visitors, even on a side street.
Eyal and Glenn make a good pair. Whereas Eyal, an Israeli, specializes in art from his home country, Glenn’s core knowledge centers on American art. Despite their respective expertise, they do not limit their collection to only two countries. “We’ll handle everything,” Glenn remarked. The one restriction that Glenn mentioned is that the gallery does not feature emerging artists. Otherwise, Beloosesky is filled with exciting, eclectic exhibits. Additionally, the men do restorations and sometimes go on house calls to peruse estates — a modern-day treasure hunt to keep bringing new, stunning pieces into the gallery.

THEN

Built as a row of five-story brick tenements, 415 East 72nd Street still retains most of its charm. The stone lintels and medallions, multi-panel double-hung windows, as well as decorative tiles and balconies – now used as fire escape, are all still present. Only one of the four buildings has had its façade altered to the point that it is unrecognizable. The ground-level stores, present since the construction of the tenements, however, have been significantly altered through time. Where Beloosesky, a fine art gallery, is today, in the 1940s was an unnamed laundry. The building was also home to a speakeasy bar in 1929 during the American prohibition.