One can imagine that cold November evening in 1980. The founders of the newly opened Metro Pictures gallery, Helene Winer and Janelle Reiring, might have been standing out front at 169 Mercer Street, where their first group show had just opened. The participating artists—among them Cindy Sherman, Laurie Simmons, James Welling, Robert Longo and Richard Prince—were no doubt in the crowd, nervously observing possible buyers. The gallery went on to become an established New York landmark, and it continues to represent a roster of prominent artists from around the world. For this online exhibition, in celebration of its 40th anniversary, Metro Pictures has asked artists who’ve shown there to select a work that dates back to before their relationship with the gallery. —E.C.