Castelli Gallery

As business expanded over the course of the 60s and artistic trends shifted in favor of larger artworks, Leo realized that his townhouse gallery was not sufficient to meet these new demands. Indicative of the trend toward maximal art was the gallery’s exhibition of James Rosenquist’s seminal installation, F-111 in 1964. This multi-paneled, mural-sized work, inspired by billboard advertisements, filled the four walls of the gallery at 4 East 77, almost as if attempting to expand the space through its sheer immensity and dynamism. The rise of this type of art prompted Leo, in 1968, to acquire an industrial loft in Harlem which became known as the Castelli Warehouse.