New York's Massey Klein Gallery will close its doors after nine years, its husband-and-wife founders say, because the economics of running a small gallery no longer work. Garrett Klein and Ryan Massey announced the decision in a Saturday Instagram post, explaining that after early success, the revenue from selling emerging art could no longer cover the showroom on the Lower East Side, support their family and sustain their artists. They plan to continue with nomadic projects rather than shut down entirely.

The couple opened the gallery guided by their Christian faith, hoping to create what Klein described as a warm, welcoming space in an industry where people often feel uninvited. Both had worked at other New York galleries — Klein principally with Bertrand Delacroix, Massey at Mulherin and Pollard — and launched with barely enough capital to secure a lease and one month's rent. Strong early sales gave way to a steady decline that began four years ago. The gallery sells emerging work priced between $3,000 and $20,000, but needs to move $30,000 to $40,000 a month to cover costs, including rent of just under $10,000 a month on the 1,000-square-foot space.

The small operation currently represents just six artists: Chrissy Angliker, Lydia Baker, Bethany Czarnecki, Jude Greibel and Laura Sallade, plus Kate McQuillen, whose current show has been extended through November 20. Despite its size, the gallery built a solid reputation on the fair circuit — the Armory Show and NADA in New York, where ARTnews singled out its 2025 NADA display as one of the fair's best, plus Untitled in Miami and the Dallas Art Fair.

In an interview, Klein said prayer was woven into the gallery's daily life: he would typically begin his day with meditation and prayer, and the couple sometimes invited church members to prayer events. Looking ahead, the dealers hope to keep a presence at fairs, including next year's third edition of New York's Split Level art fair, and to continue organising displays with Groupe NYC, the clothing-design collective with a showroom on the nearby Bowery.