Founded in 1932 by Herman Baron, with modernist pioneers Stuart Davis and Yasuo Kuniyoshi among its founding charter members, ACA Galleries (American Contemporary Art Gallery) is one of New York’s most enduring and influential art institutions. At its inception, ACA was one of just three galleries in the city dedicated exclusively to exhibiting American art.
Over the past nine decades, the gallery has expanded its curatorial vision to include 19th-century, Modern, and Contemporary American and European painting, sculpture, and photography. ACA has mounted more than 800 exhibitions and published over 400 books and catalogues, while also organizing significant traveling museum exhibitions both nationally and abroad. Throughout its history, ACA has served as a trusted advisor to leading collectors, institutions, and investors.
From the beginning, ACA has been a champion of socially engaged art, presenting early exhibitions of artists such as Rockwell Kent, Alice Neel, Barnett Newman, Irene Rice Pereira, David Smith, and Charles White. In 1935, ACA hosted the inaugural meetings of the American Artists’ Congress (AAC), which later catalyzed the Federal Art Project (FAP) and Works Project Administration (WPA), pivotal programs supporting American artists during the Great Depression.
The gallery’s international footprint has also grown across decades. It established branches in Rome and Munich and presented major exhibitions in Hong Kong and Dubai, including the first large-scale show in the UAE of artists ranging from Brueghel to Warhol.
Today, ACA Galleries is led by Casey Bergen, fourth-generation owner and president. He continues the gallery’s legacy while expanding its global reach and contemporary relevance. Under his leadership, ACA has launched new gallery spaces, strengthened its curatorial presence in Europe and Asia, and developed a private sales division specializing in blue-chip American and European art.
A cornerstone of ACA’s current mission is its artist representation program, which is dedicated to identifying, empowering, and championing the most profound visual storytellers. These are artists whose work is stylistically singular and technically exceptional. The gallery’s curatorial focus centers on narrative figurative artists, whose distinctive visual languages and technical mastery challenge conventions and inspire cultural discourse. With a long-term, legacy-focused approach, ACA nurtures artistic careers that unfold over decades and endure across generations.
Now operating from its main location at 529 West 20th Street and a second exhibition space at 173 Tenth Avenue in Chelsea, ACA continues to honor its rich history by reimagining it in a contemporary context. The gallery remains committed to supporting artists who make bold and meaningful contributions to the field, reinforcing its role as a vital cultural force in American and global art.