The Bodley Gallery was an art gallery in New York City, from the late 1940s through the early 1980s. The Bodley specialized in contemporary and modern art. David Mann was director of the gallery during its heyday and Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Braun (a.k.a. Georgie Duffee), were the owners.
Although the gallery emphasized the work of living artists, exhibits were not limited to such works—as evidenced by its showing of paintings by Tanguy in 1960, and a 1970 show including works of René Magritte. A 1971 exhibition entitled "Modern Master Drawings" included works by Paul Klee, Fernand Léger, Matisse, and Picasso. The Bodley exhibition record shows a general preponderance of surrealists (including Jorge Noceda Sanchez).
Apparently David Mann was not the first director of the Bodley Gallery, which seems to have existed already in the late 1940s. According to at least one source, Mann was still director of the Bodley as late as 1981.[1]
According to many sources (including warholstars.com and the 1961 Max Ernst exhibition catalogue listed below), the Bodley Gallery was located (through the 1950s and until at least November 1963, according to the catalogue for a 1963 Jane Frank show) at 223 East 60th Street, in Manhattan's wealthy Upper East Side neighborhood. This would place it between Second and Third Avenues. Presently the storefront is occupied by Dejavu Boutique & Gallery, a luxury fashion boutique selling mostly European clothing. To acknowledge the building's past, the boutique preserved the 2nd floor of the space as an Art Gallery to showcase artwork by established artists and the interior is lined with décor by Mackenzie-Childs.
As of no later than April 1964, the Bodley Gallery had relocated to 787 Madison Avenue (an ad on page 15 of the April 1964 issue of Art in America gives this address). This put it in an even more exclusive section of the Upper East Side, at Madison and 67th Street. That is now the address of Jacadi, which sells upscale children's clothing.
A third address, 1063 Madison Avenue (at 80th Street), seems to have been in effect by about 1975, if not earlier (but no earlier than 1967). 1063 Madison is now the address of a women's fashion boutique called Agnes B.
Bodley Gallery (New York, N.Y.) Granell (New York : The Gallery, 1965) OCLC 78760528
Victor Brauner : paintings, encaustics, drawings ; 1932 - 1959 / Bodley Gallery <New York, NY> New York, 1961. – 2 Faltbl. : zahlr. Ill. (See "external links" for electronic record of this catalog in German archive.)
Frank, Jane. Jane Frank (pub. New York, N.Y. : Bodley Gallery, 1963) [gives address as 223 East 60th street, with exhibition dates given as Oct. 22 - Nov. 9th]. OCLC 80892120 (Also available at MICA: see 'External links' for access help.)
"Goings On About Town." The New Yorker Vol. 51, May 5, 1975, p. 8a; listing exhibition "through May 17th" and shows the gallery's location at 1063 Madison Ave at 80th.)
"What's New in Art", The New York Times; Sunday, April 2, 1967; listing art openings for Monday (April 3) including "JANE FRANK - Bodley Gallery, 787 Madison Avenue. Paintings. To April 21." (This verifies that the gallery was still located at 787 Madison Avenue as late as April 1967.)