Friedrich Petzel Gallery, founded in 1994, first opened on Wooster Street in the Soho area of New York City. In 2000, the gallery moved to 537 West 22nd Street in Chelsea and in 2006 expanded to include a separate space next door dedicated to smaller exhibitions, artists' projects, and performances. In Fall 2008, Friedrich Petzel Gallery opened a joint gallery with Galerie Gisela Capitain, Cologne. This new gallery, called Capitain Petzel, is housed in a glass-encased gallery located in Mitte section of Berlin and presents exhibitions of established international artists. After eleven years on 22nd Street, Petzel Gallery closed this space, expanding into a new location at 456 West 18th Street in 2012. In March of 2015, Petzel opened a second space in New York, a new, uptown location at 35 East 67th Street. Situated in a townhouse, the new gallery is used to curate historic exhibitions by artists within the Petzel program, as well as focus on curatorial projects and publishing activities. Both galleries in New York are complemented by Capitain Petzel in Berlin. The move to the new, larger 18th Street location and expansion uptown continue Petzel Gallery’s commitment to develop its program upon the scope, diversity, and ambitions of the artists that it represents. 

Friedrich Petzel Gallery has continued to develop its program around a group of contemporary artists who are renowned internationally: Yael Bartana, Walead Beshty, Ross Bleckner, Cosima von Bonin, Joe Bradley, Troy Brauntuch, Hanne Darboven, Simon Denny, Keith Edmier, Thomas Eggerer, Derek Fordjour, Robert Heinecken, Stefanie Heinze, Georg Herold, Charline von Heyl, Dana Hoey, Christian Jankowski, Asger Jorn, Sean Landers, Rezi van Lankveld, Maria Lassnig, Allan McCollum, Adam McEwen, Rodney McMillian, Sarah Morris, Jorge Pardo, Joyce Pensato, Seth Price, Stephen Prina, Jon Pylypchuk, Willem de Rooij, Pieter Schoolwerth, Dirk Skreber, Emily Mae Smith, John Stezaker, Hiroki Tsukuda, Nicola Tyson, Corinne Wasmuht, Xie Nanxing, Samson Young, and Heimo Zobernig. Each artist has exhibited widely in both museums and galleries throughout the world and are regularly included in international exhibitions such as Documenta, the Whitney Biennial, The Carnegie International, and the São Paulo Biennial. Numerous publications are available on all the gallery artists.

Friedrich Petzel Gallery also deals in outstanding artworks from the last thirty years by artists such as: Robert Gober, Mike Kelley, Martin Kippenberger, Jeff Koons, Louise Lawler, John Miller, Albert Oehlen, Sigmar Polke, Richard Prince, Cindy Sherman, Thomas Struth, and Christopher Wool.