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Who

Best known for championing painter John Currin, Rosen oversees two galleries of contemporary art in Chelsea.

Backstory

Rosen christened her gallery in 1990 with an exhibition by gay conceptual artist Felix Gonzalez-Torres. Since then the "tough, platinum princess of the Chelsea gallery scene" (as she's been dubbed by New York) has developed a reputation for picking up-and-coming artists who not only reflect the direction of the art market, but also display a talent for stirring the pot. This was most definitely the case with Rosen's ex-boyfriend John Currin, whose first significant solo show was held at her gallery in 1992. His portraits of wretched, age-ravaged women set the art world on fire and caused Village Voice critic Kim Levin to advise readers to boycott the show. Rosen's gallery expanded over the course of the decade: In 2000 she opened up a second Richard Gluckman-designed space in Chelsea called Gallery 2, which displays work by artists not represented by Rosen's gallery.

Of note

Rosen currently represents Matthew Ritchie, Rita Ackermann, David Altmejd, Sean Landers, Matthew Ronay, Andrea Zittel, and Katy Moran—and she's shown work by László Moholy-Nagy, Lee Friedlander, and Jeff Koons. Her biggest client, without question, was John Currin, whom she championed from the very beginning. Shortly after Currin's mid-career survey at the Whitney in 2003—a grand triumph after the two had spent 14 years working together—Currin surprised art insiders by defecting to Larry Gagosian. Some saw it as a rite of passage, an artist growing up and moving to the big leagues; others considered it a betrayal.

For the record

Since opening her gallery, Rosen has included a clause in her sales contracts that grants her the first shot at buying back the painting if the buyer decides to resell it. Rosen says she uses this right of first refusal to take care of her artists, but it's an astute business move—it allows her to keep older paintings from competing with the work she's selling. Critics says Rosen's tendency to exercise control over her artists can backfire, and point to Currin as exhibit A.

Personal

The unmarried, bleached-blonde Rosen lives on Washington Street in the West Village.