[1] Considered one of the most influential gallerists of contemporary art in the world, Goodman is known for introducing European artists like Gerhard Richter, Joseph Beuys, and Marcel Broodthaers to the United States.
[5] Her gallery has represented a number of artists including Steve McQueen, Thomas Struth, Pierre Huyghe, Thomas Schütte, Lothar Baumgarten, Tony Cragg, Richard Deacon, Tacita Dean, Christian Boltanski, Annette Messager, Chantal Akerman, Niele Toroni, Gabriel Orozco, Maurizio Cattelan, Giuseppe Penone, Giovanni Anselmo, Jeff Wall, Rineke Dijkstra, and William Kentridge.
[1] Born Marian Geller,[1] Goodman grew up on the Upper West Side and attended the Little Red School House and Emerson College.
[6][7] In 1956, Goodman was one of a group of mothers who successfully battled Robert Moses when he tried to expand the parking lot at Tavern on the Green, forcing him to build a playground instead.
[7] From 1968 to 1975, Multiples worked with European artists, introducing early editions by Joseph Beuys, Marcel Broodthaers, Blinky Palermo, and Gerhard Richter to American audiences.
[10] Goodman's failure to secure Broodthaers an outlet in New York was the impetus behind her decision to open her own gallery featuring his work as the initial exhibition.
[15] Also in 2022, the gallery announced that it would expand to Los Angeles by 2023, taking over a 1,200 m2 (13,000 sq ft) warehouse campus from the 1920s in Hollywood, designed by architectural firm Johnston Marklee & Associates and located at 1120 Seward Street.
Her gallery has a certain subtle social horizon of responsibility.”[1] In an article in the New Yorker, art critic Peter Schjeldahl said "Goodman may be the most respected contemporary dealer in New York, for her taste, standards, and loyalty to her artists."