As many of you know, we recently relocated M Gallery to Charleston SC from Sarasota FL. We were feeling the excruciating pain of the protracted collapse of the Florida housing markets & the related economies. We did thorough research and determined that Charleston was a strong market for the kind of paintings we carry and provided a nurturing environment
for museum quality representational art.
I found it ironic, that after years of drawing the
parallels between over inflated financial derivatives and non representational art, we would find our selves financially entangled in a collapsed balloon of a
real-estate market. We knew based on our adamant stance & experience in the art world, carrying works of tangible value that escalate slowly but steadily in value, that are competence and skilled based works of art by living masters, that the consequences of this collapse would be long lasting and we felt we needed to depart our beloved Sarasota.
I never imagined I would feel at home elsewhere our art community in Sarasota was so strong & loving. The minute we settled in Charleston, it was as if we had always been here. Everyone is so friendly, so warm. There is great appreciation for the work we carry and we fit in to the
existing art venues comfortably. We feel a bit like refugees that have come into safe harbor from a financial storm of unimaginable strength. What a relief to be here.
As my friend Clayton Beck reminds me, in the last 2 centuries, since the development of photography in 1829 the purpose of Art and the commercial enterprise of Art has drastically
changed. Historical rendering of events, scenes & persons no longer was required
by painters. Photography could document history much more efficiently and
cheaply. The commercial proliferation of artists as documentarians of life was
no longer needed. Peggy Guggenheim, Sotheby’s and the vast gallery network in
the urban centers of the world began to market & promote art works which were no
longer skill based (much cheaper to make & required less training) as an
alternative to the mass production photographs offered. These schools of art:
cubism, expressionism, abstract expressionism, minimalism etc hijacked the idea
of art and turned it into a Ponzi scheme of selling valueless works which
required no skill for great amounts of money.
for museum quality representational art.
I found it ironic, that after years of drawing the
parallels between over inflated financial derivatives and non representational art, we would find our selves financially entangled in a collapsed balloon of a
real-estate market. We knew based on our adamant stance & experience in the art world, carrying works of tangible value that escalate slowly but steadily in value, that are competence and skilled based works of art by living masters, that the consequences of this collapse would be long lasting and we felt we needed to depart our beloved Sarasota.
I never imagined I would feel at home elsewhere our art community in Sarasota was so strong & loving. The minute we settled in Charleston, it was as if we had always been here. Everyone is so friendly, so warm. There is great appreciation for the work we carry and we fit in to the
existing art venues comfortably. We feel a bit like refugees that have come into safe harbor from a financial storm of unimaginable strength. What a relief to be here.
As my friend Clayton Beck reminds me, in the last 2 centuries, since the development of photography in 1829 the purpose of Art and the commercial enterprise of Art has drastically
changed. Historical rendering of events, scenes & persons no longer was required
by painters. Photography could document history much more efficiently and
cheaply. The commercial proliferation of artists as documentarians of life was
no longer needed. Peggy Guggenheim, Sotheby’s and the vast gallery network in
the urban centers of the world began to market & promote art works which were no
longer skill based (much cheaper to make & required less training) as an
alternative to the mass production photographs offered. These schools of art:
cubism, expressionism, abstract expressionism, minimalism etc hijacked the idea
of art and turned it into a Ponzi scheme of selling valueless works which
required no skill for great amounts of money.
As a result the general public and the collecting public became very confused.
Academia and the museum establishments embraced the absolute non-sense of what
amounted to art derivatives and invested heavily. Now consumers of art were
befuddled and began to say words like: I don’t know much about art (meaning what
they were taught in school made no sense) but I know what I like (meaning beauty
and skill interest me but I am embarrassed to counter such an overwhelming
trend).
The emperor had no clothes.
What has emerged out of all this mess is finally a recognition that the works
presented by these schools of art are no more than hucksterism and what is
occurring as a result of this understanding is a great resurgence in
representational work: Skill based & aesthetically beautiful. M Gallery’s
mission is to provide a commercial venue for these works, reflecting one of the
greatest art movements of our time. Our painters and their peers are the
vanguards of an art movement which promises to change the direction of the
future, rewrite our understanding of art history and restore an understanding of
art for generations to come.
presented by these schools of art are no more than hucksterism and what is
occurring as a result of this understanding is a great resurgence in
representational work: Skill based & aesthetically beautiful. M Gallery’s
mission is to provide a commercial venue for these works, reflecting one of the
greatest art movements of our time. Our painters and their peers are the
vanguards of an art movement which promises to change the direction of the
future, rewrite our understanding of art history and restore an understanding of
art for generations to come.
We are tickled to be in Charleston’s embrace.
Robert Liberace's Crouching Man captures it all.
M Gallery is located at 11 Broad Street in the Historic District of Charleston,
SC. Hours are Monday – Saturday 10 am to 6 pm; Sundays 11 am to 4 pm.
3 comments:
Well stated comments about the resurgence of representational art. What a wonderful idea, resurrecting the concepts of skill and beauty! Much gratitude to the likes of Carlson Payne, Gruppe, Hammels, Hibbard and others who kept the torch burning through the darkness of the 20th century.
Thank you Simone We are so very excited to be here in Charleston, amid such grace & beauty. Our galleries are set up like little salons, where collectors & artists can linger...
Yes, it was very cool. We were there. I think it'll work well. Congratulations. I felt privileged to be first to sign the guest book.
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