Nathalie Karg Gallery

Before it was a gallery, it was a parish house of the Church of San Salvatore in Little Italy. The two-storey building still carries that energy: a white exterior, a blue door, and a cross above that watches over it all. Inside, ethereal light floods the immaculate rooms.

The vibe is romantic in the old sense. They’re lush and filled with longing, desire, and beauty that knows it won't last. The palettes are off-primary and elegant. The style of the paintings ranges from thickly painted, fractured abstractions to slightly softened landscapes that feel recalled rather than seen, to pictures of young women caught mid-pose in rooms scattered with art books and shoes, like stills from a French New Wave film.

And then there are the birdbaths. The ping pong tables. The candy-colored benches. The tire swings made with gold bling chains. Nathalie Karg also founded Cumulus Studios, where she asks artists to make outdoor furniture you can touch, sit on, swing from, and get rained on.

Nathalie Karg grew up in Paris but has been a New Yorker for decades, working as a gallerist, landscape designer, and founder of Cumulus Studios. She opened the gallery in 2013 on Grand Street and moved it to the former parish house on Elizabeth Street 10 years later. Look for the door on the second floor that still leads into the church.