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Renowned art dealer and gallerist Harper Levine is expanding his empire with a new Harper's bookshop, which opens at 504 West 22nd Street by Tenth Avenue in Chelsea today.
Functioning as both a purveyor of tomes and a showroom, the new space takes over two levels and specializes in rare printings and art books. This is Levine's second such endeavor, following a similar location in East Hampton.
"Opening a bookstore in New York, my hometown, has been a lifelong dream of mine," Levine said in an official statement. "I can’t wait to see how the new shop interacts with our existing galleries on the same block. My career has been built around the relationship between books and art, so this next venture is the culmination of over 25 years exploring these goals."
In addition to his bookshops, Levine manages a network of art galleries across New York and Los Angeles.
This latest opening coincides with the return of Printed Matter's NY Art Book Fair, which runs today through Sunday after a three-year-long, pandemic-fueled hiatus. The celebration once again takes over the former Dia building at 548 West 22nd Street, just steps away from the new Harper's bookshop and art gallery Harper's Chelsea.
Lest you think Levine was handed his impressive business by some stroke of luck, think again: as legend has it—and ARTnews reports—the Manhattanite was living in Minnesota back in 2001, when he decided to return to New York to kick off a new project. Although originally planning on re-settling in the city, the 9/11 terrorist attacks convinced him and his wife to move with their baby to the Hamptons. That's where Levine opened his first rare book store, which eventually also became a gallery.
Levine expanded his social network as more and more people, both famous and not, reached out to find specific books. Fast-forward a couple of decades and Levine has become one of the most recognizable figures in both the rare books and art worlds.