NEW YORK, NY.- West Chelsea Contemporary, the world-class art gallery offering museum quality 20th century and contemporary art in Austin and New York City, opened its exhibition, Icons and Vandals, at its New York location.

First established in Austin, Texas in October 2020 under the direction of Founder and President Lisa Russell, WCC opened its second location in New York City’s Chelsea art neighborhood in November 2021. Across its two galleries, WCC offers an “art-for-all” approach to art education and entertainment through museum-quality exhibitions and programming in a dynamic, interactive setting. Officially open to the public beginning on April 23, Icons and Vandals marks the fourth exhibition hosted at the New York gallery.

With artwork spanning 60 years, Icons & Vandals features art-world agitators from across the globe who have distinguished themselves through disruption. Beginning with Modern Masters - who challenged the status quo through aesthetic and technical innovation - and ranging to present day artist-licensed creatives who redefine what it means to be a collector, all of the artists featured in the exhibition have left their marks on the development and progression of contemporary art by subverting the norms of their own time. Icons and Vandals spotlights works by Alex Katz, Jim Dine, James Rosenquist, Robert Indiana, Takashi Murakami, Mari Kim, Li Tianbing, Zhang Xiaogang, Cey Adams, Richard Hambleton, Blek le Rat, Banksy, Skate Decks, and Vinyl Art.

“Icons and Vandals allows the viewer to rediscover work by the art world’s most iconic - and contentious - household names, and redefine what these artists represent,” said Lisa Russell, Founder and President of West Chelsea Contemporary. “This approach embodies our core, ‘art for all’ belief - we encourage our audience to challenge the oeuvre of even the most famous artists, rather than accepting their reputations as universally true.”

As its name suggests, Icons and Vandals seeks to exemplify that these two labels are not mutually exclusive but in fact go hand in hand.