Do you need an Art degree from Yale University to get into a New York Gallery?

Feb 27th 2024 Update: There is a Panel discussion embedded below of four Yale University Art graduates discussing the so-called Yale Art Mafia which helps with more insight on the issue.

Yale Art Mafia?

There has always been a persistent idea – or myth – in the art world that in order to be exhibited in a good gallery in NYC, you must graduate from a school like Yale University. In fact this is such a persistent rumor that the term “Yale Mafia” was coined to reflect this elite notion that only artists who have graduated from there get into the elite circle that is the New York gallery art world.

I decided to do some investigating and in January of 2024 I researched over 250 galleries in New York city and in each gallery I looked at the current exhibiting artists resume to see where they got their last degree from – would it be primarily Yale I wondered?

You can see all my research and exactly what galleries I called and who the exhibiting artist was right here in my spreadsheet. To summarize, from the most popular degrees and schools:  Out of 250 galleries researched in NYC,  9 artists graduated from Yale University (less than 5%!) Next was SVA – 8 artists from SVA!!, 6 artists from NYU, 6 artists from Cal Arts, 6 artists from Columbia, 5 from Cooper Union, 2 from The Art Institute of Chicago, and 1 from Pratt.

While Yale University was in the number one position and SVA was number 2, that still accounts for less than 10% of all the galleries. The other 90% of schools artists exhibiting in NYC graduated from were all over the country and abroad.

So, to be included in this fast-paced mecca of galleries in NYC, many aspiring artists wonder if the reputable Yale University is the only ticket to town. After researching the 250 galleries mentioned, the answer is No. Most artists (90%) are from universities that are not so elite.

While conducting this research, I found artists graduated from institutes all over the world including University of Louisville, Oxford, University of Northern Iowa, Berkeley, Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music and more, all of whom are successfully showcasing throughout New York City.

The findings validate that to be showcased in a New York art gallery, your degree (MFA or BFA) does not have to come from Yale University.

Mika Yoshitake, Independent Curator at Pace Gallery in Manhattan graduated with an MFA from UC Berkeley before pursuing her dream of curating in New York. ​​In 2003, she co-founded New Humans, a collaborative group including then-artists Eric Tsai and her now-husband Howie Chen to make works involving sound, installation, and performance actions(2).

JJ Manford, established and accomplished painter received his MFA at Hunter College and has been working and teaching in Bushwick successfully for years. In an interview with maake Magazine, he credits his love for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Batman – in tandem with the support of his parents – to pursue a career and life in the arts. “Growing up is rough, so it brought me comfort and confidence to feel like I had a skill that not everyone had, or was interested in. We had to paint a famous artwork onto the top of a stool in fourth grade, and I chose Cézanne. The process of copying one of his still lives generated my first real art crush. Later in life, I remember going to see the Basquiat retrospective at the Brooklyn Museum, and that’s when it solidified in me that I wanted to be an artist, in the life-pursuit sense of the word.” (4)

There are a myriad of talented artists throughout the country and specifically in New York, many of which have accomplished triumphs with a BFA or MFA from a school miles and miles away from the campus of Yale. A strong passion, dedication, and commitment to the craft can put you on the right track to a New York City gallery. Even if you’re coming from somewhere across the country. 

(1): Research spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1URAr1CIRgQ2hMLhGZi9dP_XMQ7X-z8pN0bDKhMYexts/edit?pli=1#gid=0 

(2): Pace Gallery, Mika Tajima: https://www.pacegallery.com/artists/mika-tajima/ 

(3): maakeMagazine.com, Interview with JJ Manford: https://www.maakemagazine.com/jj-manford 

Yale Panel Discussion