NEW YORK— Later this month, 28 New York galleries from the Chelsea art district will show contemporary artwork at an exhibition at the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes in Havana, Cuba, for the first time since 1986, the Art Newspaper reports. The exhibition, called "Chelsea Visits Havana," opens on March 28 in conjunction with the Havana Biennial and includes work by 35 artists, including Matthew Barney, Marina Abramovic, and Loretta Lux. Sean Kelly, Barbara Gladstone, Matthew Marks, and Mary Boone are among the participating dealers.

Show organizers and New York art dealers Alberto Magnan and Dara Metz approached Cuban officials almost two years ago with their idea; they were notified in January that the project had been green-lighted.

"We've been under the harsh policies of the Bush administration for such a long time" said Magnan, "and the reintroduction of cultural exchanges will hopefully move both sides closer to dialogue." President Bush strengthened the U.S. trade embargo on Cuba in 2004, resulting in the end of all travel-related cultural exchanges between the two countries. Cuban artists have often been denied visas to come to the U.S., and efforts to bring American artists to Cuba have been blocked by the U.S. Interests Section in Havana, which functions along the lines of an embassy.

The passage of artworks between the two countries, however, is exempt from the embargo under the Free Trade in Ideas Act, according to attorney Christopher Klatell.

The Chelsea exhibition is being mounted with the help of the Fundación Amistad, a U.S. nonprofit dedicated to improving relations between America and Cuba. The organization is raising money to pay for the shipping and insurance of the art, plus a catalog.