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New York's smallest museum is trying to lose its unique status.
The Dahesh Museum, opened in January 1995 with a sole focus on late 19th and early 20th century academic art, is hoping to expand beyond the 1,800 square feet it now occupies on the second floor of 601 Fifth Ave. Buoyed by growing public interest in the works it shows, the museum has bid on city-owned 2 Columbus Circle.
"We're not looking for a huge space, but 2 Columbus, with its 30,000 to 35,000 usable square feet, would allow us to move to the next level," says David Farmer, the museum's director.
Interest in salon art surging
Mr. Farmer has reason to be optimistic about a larger Dahesh's appeal. The museum attracted 16,000 visitors last year--about double the number of its first year. Ten years ago, commercial galleries barely showed any 19th century art that wasn't Impressionist,...