After losing its rented space on Wooster Street when Jeffrey Deitch returned to his New York gallery, the Swiss Institute has found a long-term home on St Marks Place and Second Avenue in the East Village, where it will open next spring. It also has nine new trustees joining its board: Lisa Schiff, Alexandra Economou, Matthias Dettling, Bice Curiger, Sam Keller, Dominique Lévy, Christian Marclay, Michael Ringier and Iwan Wirth. The high-profile additions “shows the testament of goodwill that surrounds the institute”, its director Simon Castets says.
A former Chase bank, the 7,500 sq ft building comprises three levels and a rooftop that will be accessible to the public and serve as an events space. It is currently being renovated by the Selldorf Architects firm. The institute has signed a lease for at least 10 years and will open in its new home with its third Annual Architecture and Design Series, which was curated by Felix Burrichter last year.
“I am thrilled to begin my tenure as chair with the support of such a stellar, expanded and international Board of Trustees, at the start of an exciting new era for the organisation,” says the collector Maja Hoffmann in a statement. “I am looking forward to working with the exceptional Swiss Institute team as they thoughtfully develop the institution and its programme in the context of such a storied, creative neighbourhood.”
The move to the East Village, an area long connected to New York artists, will give the institute “more ways to engage with our audience, being in a place that has more foot traffic and is younger and more diverse, and that represents a range of disciplines”, says Castets, “We’re incredibly lucky to be on St Marks Place, and it’s interesting to think about how the location can expand our mission.”