You should see this art exhibit in Chelsea, but don't research it first

WNYC News

Lines stretched down the block outside of the David Zwirner Gallery on 20th Street on Tuesday afternoon.

CUNY students, twentysomething art aficionados, and older women in Chanel dresses were all waiting to see the newest work by Doug Wheeler, an artist renowned for his experiments with perceptions of space and light.

Wheeler, who has exhibited with David Zwirner since 2010, has something of a cult following in the art world. Unlike contemporaries such as James Turrell, Wheeler’s work has not been permanently installed anywhere. When a Wheeler work comes to town, it’s an event for those in the know.

“You can’t describe it and you can’t replicate it,” said Kristine Bell, a senior partner at the gallery. “It’s just one of those once-in-a-lifetime moments that really exist in your memory, and people like to be in that club. It’s a small club, but a really happy one.”