This week, New York galleries rang in the New Year and confronted the recession head-on with a slew of openings to kick off the winter season. Among the shows that debuted this week: activist and artist Nancy Spero's "Un Coup De Dent" at Galerie Lelong, on view through February 21; "Follow the Nosebleeds," a show by Mark Mulroney at Mixed Greens through February 7; and Peter Rostovsky's first solo exhibition at Sara Meltzer Gallery, "This Distant World," which runs through February 14.

Also, we catch up with a reception from last month, for Nathan Bernstein Gallery's current show, "Chinese Political Pop," which runs through February 28. The exhibition features controversial works by a number of leading Chinese avant-garde artists, and a host of high-profile guests were in attendance at the reception to toast them, including Gigi Mortimer and Liliana Cavendish, billionaire Wilbur Ross and his wife, Hilary, collectors Rajiv and Payal Chaudhri, and arts journalist Christopher Mason.

Click on the photo gallery at left to see pictures from all the receptions.