The Lefebre Gallery was established in 1960 by John and Ljuba Lefebre at 47 East 77th Street in Manhattan, New York.
The gallery’s inaugural exhibition, “A Collector in Paris becomes an Art Dealer in New York” was based on the Lefebres' personal collection, which included artists who were part of The School of Paris in the 1950’s. As Annette Michelson noted in her introductory text for the exhibition’s catalogue, “ There is an idea of a gallery –the almost ideal gallery- in which every painter represented, every painting, represents a personal taste, in which every canvas bears the mark of a private affection or of a passion (..) These canvases bear the stamp of a milieu (Paris), a period (the post war years) and a particular sensibility; all have matured together.” [1]
From this inaugural exhibition, the Lefebre Gallery established a reputation for mounting important exhibitions of post war European art. Lefebre was the only American art dealer to represent Cobra artists such as Asger Jorn, Pierre Alechinsky, Corneille, Christian Dotremont, Carl-Henning Pedersen, and Reinhoud. Other artists represented by the Lefebre Gallery included Horst Antes, Pol Bury, Julius Bissier, Klaus Fussmann, Hans Hartung, Serge Polikoff, Antonio Segui, Wallasse Ting, among others.
The gallery closed following the death of John Lefebre in 1986.
As Thomas Messer, former director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum noted of Lefebre’s uniquely focused stable of artists, “ Over a quarter century, John Lefebre chose to further the distinguished yet generally neglected and commercially difficult work of European postwar artists. He did so with total devotion, meticulous attention, and ultimately, rewarding success.”[2]
The gallery’s inaugural exhibition, “A Collector in Paris becomes an Art Dealer in New York” was based on the Lefebres' personal collection, which included artists who were part of The School of Paris in the 1950’s. As Annette Michelson noted in her introductory text for the exhibition’s catalogue, “ There is an idea of a gallery –the almost ideal gallery- in which every painter represented, every painting, represents a personal taste, in which every canvas bears the mark of a private affection or of a passion (..) These canvases bear the stamp of a milieu (Paris), a period (the post war years) and a particular sensibility; all have matured together.” [1]
From this inaugural exhibition, the Lefebre Gallery established a reputation for mounting important exhibitions of post war European art. Lefebre was the only American art dealer to represent Cobra artists such as Asger Jorn, Pierre Alechinsky, Corneille, Christian Dotremont, Carl-Henning Pedersen, and Reinhoud. Other artists represented by the Lefebre Gallery included Horst Antes, Pol Bury, Julius Bissier, Klaus Fussmann, Hans Hartung, Serge Polikoff, Antonio Segui, Wallasse Ting, among others.
The gallery closed following the death of John Lefebre in 1986.
As Thomas Messer, former director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum noted of Lefebre’s uniquely focused stable of artists, “ Over a quarter century, John Lefebre chose to further the distinguished yet generally neglected and commercially difficult work of European postwar artists. He did so with total devotion, meticulous attention, and ultimately, rewarding success.”[2]
