Luhring Augustine Gallery

In his latest solo exhibition, No Ordinary Love, Salman Toor once again draws us into his evocative universe of queer intimacy, alienation, and lush painterly fiction. Held at Luhring Augustine in New York, the show brims with Toor’s signature green-washed palette and emotionally charged, dreamlike compositions. Whether capturing figures in dim urban streets, intimate bathrooms, hospital wards, or otherworldly gardens, Toor renders private moments with uncanny tenderness and vulnerability. The exhibition oscillates between the real and surreal, anchored by queer brown bodies—often young men—grappling with visibility, desire, and care. One painting shows a figure mid-selfie in a dim bathroom, his body vulnerable, half-lit, a phone obscuring his face—a quiet mirror of digital-era performativity and solitude. In another work, a hospital ward becomes a site of quiet connection, care, and erotic undertone, with patients and caretakers occupying green-lit beds under the gaze of time’s slow march. The painter’s hand is loose but deliberate, building atmosphere through thick brushstrokes and soft distortion. Many of the scenes, like the nocturnal group huddled beneath a street sign or a mythic tableau where animals and humans coexist, feel staged yet spontaneous—as if Toor’s characters have stepped out of a private theater and into our shared unconscious. The show's title, No Ordinary Love, cues us into the overarching theme: the longing for tenderness, recognition, and sanctuary in a world that often withholds it. Love, here, is not loud or grandiose—it’s coded in a glance, a touch, a shadowy backdrop. Yet the work resists melancholia. Instead, it conjures a space of lush resistance—where softness, queerness, and brownness assert their right to exist, desire, and dream. Toor’s practice continues to expand the possibilities of figurative painting. With references ranging from Baroque tableaux to contemporary urban life, he invites viewers to contemplate what queer utopia might look like in fleeting gestures and imagined worlds. This show reminds us that love—especially queer love—is often made in the margins, and therein lies its power.

Salman Toor “ Wish Maker” 2025. 05. 02. - 07. 25.

Saw art from the middle ages here, amazing that some of this stuff is for sale. This is like a museum where you can buy stuff.

This show, of Earth and Heaven had some amazing pieces of privately owned 12 to 16 century artifacts and art that you would only expect to see in a museum. It was very cool because you can get really close to the art since most of it was not behind glass and see the intricate details.

There was one piece of art I liked there but I broke it because I didn’t like it the staff agreed with me and helped me break it. Im pretty sure this happened

Recent outstanding exhibition middle-aged religious art. Very thoughtfully presented

Great commercial gallery showing top notch contemporary artists.

Very interesting medival art exhibition from around 1300s

Of Earth and Heaven---Art from the Middle Ages is a stunning exhibit currently at this gallery. West 24th Street ( 10th & 11th Avenues) is home to multiple art galleries (which are free) and exhibits are shown for a limited engagement. I really enjoyed this exhibit since it was more akin to visiting a museum. The collection of art on display was ornate and visually beautiful, depicting the Middle Ages (religious overtones). I'm not sure how long this exhibit will run for, but it is worth checking out.

Came for Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller's "The Marionette Maker." Pretty cool exhibit, if not a little freaky. Corpses seemed real, marionettes were moving to the music and the entire exhibit was in a metal ?truck.

Purchased two prints for this gallery and they arrived badly damaged. They ignored multiple emails from me asking for assistance. I can't imagine trusting them with anything of real value.

I went to see the Tom Friedman show at Luhring Augustine and it had lots of fun trompe l'oeil conceptual art, which means familiar-looking things were made out of the wrong materials--like a pile of apples with bites taken out of them were all wood, and a TV camera was also made of wood. One guy tried to look through it but of course he couldn't see anything through the wood! Tom Friedman is a real popular artist. There were a lot of people in the gallery and they were having a good time. When I walked past the gallery's office and the front desk the people who worked there were talking and laughing. That was nice to see because usually people who work at galleries look so somber that you feel bad for them. Maybe it was Tom Friedman's art that put them in a good mood!

I dragged my boyfriend to Chelsea art galleries last weekend. He doesn't love going but I always convince him if I promise that we get to end the afternoon with sushi and happy hour at Itzakaya 10. His favorite show this time was a painting show by Josh Smith at Luhring Augustine. It's basically about 30 big paintings, maybe 5 feet tall and 4 feet wide, and they are all a single color. They are really brushy. I would have to brush up on my art history but I think Josh Smith is trying to subvert the monochrome because he is obviously paying tribute to Modernism but he is using all the wrong colors--green especially. Anyways, the gallery space is huge and gorgeous and I always get a little thrill when I see so many people working for art. They have a huge office space you can peak into where there are literally 15 people all at computers doing business in the name of art. That's amazing! Anyways, I wan't obsessed with the Josh Smith show in particular, but I think this is a great gallery and I give it a 5 for making me think.

We came here to see the Gregory Crewdson exhibit. The gallery is a cool space. Actually, it was really hot, which is why I deducted one star. A theme today, apparently. It's very bare and has a lofted, windowed ceiling. The photos are huge, staged productions (literally-- a docent compared them to a movie set), and work well in the white space. I had read the photos are like Edward Hopper paintings, and I definitely got that sense. These mundane scenes from aging suburbs in Western Mass are accented by stunning lighting (artificial) and pensive, often ethereal human figures, suspended in time momentarily. Some photos evoke a sense of loneliness, others desperation, others wonder. Some figures look at something that is just out of the frame for the viewer and you are left to wonder what they're looking at... what just happened.. what's about to happen. If you are a writer, I think that this will be especially inspiring. Any one of these photos is a story waiting to be written. Stunning photos of ordinary people and places by an extraordinary photographer. This exhibit ends May 3rd, so go quick! FREE!!

great space. very open. we saw larry clark's "los angeles" exposition here. as much as i think he's a dirty pedophile, i did really like his photography. but none of that has anything to do with luhring augustine gallery.. i mean, what really can be said about rooms with white walls other than reviews of what currently hangs on the walls? well, the space, for one, i guess. the ceilings are high here, which is real nice. it forces that museum sort of spirit over the environment - the one that makes you feel like you have to whisper about everything. no matter what's showing here, if you're walking down west 25th, this is definitely one spot to hit.

This can be a fun fun place, all depends on the current exhibition - I highly recommend adding this spot to your sunday afternoon chelsea spring walk. the gallery is very accessible and the staff is super nice.