Bjørn Skaarup, “Hippo Ballerina en Pointe.” Photo courtesy of Cavalier Galleries.
In 1986, Ronald Cavalier Jr. opened a small gallery in downtown Stamford, Connecticut, with little more than determination and a single credit card. He borrowed against it to purchase pedestals and lighting, and for the first several years, turning a profit was just out of his reach.
Four decades later, Cavalier Galleries has grown into a multi-location gallery with spaces in New York, Greenwich, Nantucket, and Palm Beach. This year marks the gallery’s 40th anniversary, offering an opportunity to look back at its evolution from modest beginnings to a longstanding presence in the American art world.
Cavalier’s connection to art began even before the gallery opened. His father, Ronald Cavalier Sr., was an art foundryman who helped advance bronze casting in the United States and worked with major institutions including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. That early exposure helped establish Cavalier Jr.’s lasting interest in sculpture.
Over the years, Cavalier Galleries expanded its focus to include painting, photography, and modern and contemporary art, while also bringing works beyond traditional gallery walls through public sculpture projects and monumental installations.
The gallery’s 40th-anniversary programming, at its New York flagship location from May 19-July 10, 2026, brought together works that reflect this wide-ranging history. Among them was Andy Warhol’s striking 1977 portrait of Bianca Jagger on horseback. The crisp black-and-white photograph captures a distinct moment in time, with Jagger and the horse creating an almost surreal pairing.
The exhibition also celebrated the sea by showcasing contemporary maritime art. Shane Couch’s Rainbow Shows Endeavour the Way (2025) captured blue waves and white sails illuminated by the sun, while Patrick O’Brien’s SS Spitfire on Patrol (2020) looked back to maritime history. Together, the works demonstrated the range of subjects and eras the gallery represents.
Sculpture also had a prominent place in the exhibition, reflecting its longstanding importance to Cavalier Galleries. Joy Brown’s Sitter with Crossed Legs depicted one of the artist’s characteristically rounded, contemplative figures, while Bjørn Skaarup’s playful Hippo Ballerina en Pointe transformed the massive animal into an unlikely yet graceful dancer. The duo highlighted the gallery’s approach to the genre, which ranges from quietly introspective to whimsical and unexpected.
The anniversary has also been celebrated through shows reflecting the gallery’s longstanding interests. Earlier in 2026, its New York flagship presented Modern Marine Masters, a juried exhibition organized with the American Society of Marine Artists. More than 30 artists contributed contemporary interpretations of maritime life, from sailboats and naval vessels to working harbors and coastal landscapes. Timed to coincide with the United States’s 250th anniversary and New York’s summer maritime celebrations, the exhibition also demonstrated Cavalier’s decades-long history of exhibiting marine art.
As the art world increasingly becomes dominated by large international galleries, Cavalier’s four-decade history offers another model: one built gradually through a sustained commitment to artists, collectors, public art, and local art communities.
Cavalier Galleries is celebrating its 40th anniversary, four decades after Ronald Cavalier Jr. opened its first location in Stamford, Connecticut.
Cavalier Galleries, 805 Greenwich Ave.
Anniversary programming has highlighted the gallery’s wide-ranging history, including photography by Andy Warhol and maritime art.
Andy Warhol, “Bianca Jagger on Horseback, Studio 54,” 1977. Photo courtesy of Cavalier Galleries.
Shane Couch, “Rainbow Shows Endeavour the Way, 1934 America’s Cup,” 2025. Photo courtesy of Cavalier Galleries.
Patrick O’Brien, “USS Spitfire on Patrol,” 2020. Photo courtesy of Cavalier Galleries.
Sculpture has remained central to the gallery, following in its tradition of multidisciplinary works of art.
Joy Brown, “Sitter with Crossed Legs.” Photo courtesy of Cavalier Galleries.
Jim Rennert, “Listen.” Photo courtesy of Cavalier Galleries.
After four decades, Cavalier Galleries continues to champion artists while staying true to the vision that shaped its beginnings.
Adam S. Umbach, “Wave Scene (Duck Squad),” 2026. Oil and acrylic on canvas, 48 × 54 inches. Photo courtesy of Cavalier Galleries.
Frank Corso, “Evenings Splendor,” 2025. Oil on canvas, 36 × 48 inches. Photo courtesy of Cavalier Galleries.
