New York Galleries- Notes from 1st meeting

John Stevenson Gallery- http://www.johnstevenson-gallery.com/

Throughout its 20-year history, 
John Stevenson Gallery has been the 
advocate for artistic virtuosity — for the 
hand of the artist, as well as the eye. From our origin, as the first gallery to specialize in art photography handcrafted in rare processes, our curation has expanded to include artists who also create conceptualist works, in paint, bronze, 
ceramic, and collage. We continue to offer a distinctly defined and 
unique collection, unlike any other. Notes: Very well designed website, art is mostly decorative.

Cy DeCosse’s interest in photography began with his work as an advertising agency art director. In the early 1950’s, when he graduated from art school and accepted his first job, photos were replacing illustrations and becoming the language of advertising. Cy realized that in order to really understand photography, he had to do it himself. He bought an old Exa camera, turned the coal cellar in his basement into a darkroom, and began shooting everything around him, from beer foaming over a glass to ants climbing out of their holes.

Hugh Shurley: I call my series of photomontages, Anatomy of Image. They are an exploration into the idea that our past is always in our presence. My work is an attempt to look inside at the hidden history that is buried within each person, place and possession. Each photomontage contains several transparencies that once stacked upon each other, read as a whole. Every layer in construction holds some memento, some token of the past, something hidden, buried and awaiting discovery. Within each layer I am conscious of how creating an opaque and transparent spaces allows for a sense of movement, of dimensional depth. It is my hope that viewers will discover and delight in the examination of my works, finding something new if now familiar.



MagnanEmrich- www.magnanemrich.com

Magnan Emrich Contemporary was established by art dealer Alberto Magnan and his business partner Ed Emrich in 2006. The Gallery is dedicated to showcasing contemporary Latin-American art and special projects. In addition to establishing its own program, the Gallery invites guest curators to inject new concepts and knowledge of Latin-American art. Alberto Magnan continually searches for new and exciting artists in an effort to expose Latin-American arts and culture to a wider audience.

In 2003 Magnan, a native of Cuba, began a documentary on Cuban arts conducting interviews with artists in both the U.S. and in Cuba as well as documenting prominent figures such as Alicia Alonso, Director of the Cuban National Ballet and Pio Leyva, singer and musician for the Buena Vista Social Club. This project inspired Magnan to conceive an exhibition showcasing Cuban and Cuban-American artists of the 1980s, 1990s and 2000. It also brought Magnan's focus back to his true passion as a gallerist, inspiring him to tap into the under-represented group of emerging Latin-American artists by opening a second gallery Magnan Emrich Contemporary.



Eva Davidova: Born in Bulgaria. Went to school in and works in Spain. Photographs. People, mostly nudes, in weird supernatural situations.





Sofia Maldonado, Puerto Rico 1984: As an Artist, she admires her country's rural landscapes, along with the chaos of the city and the abandoned structures within them. During her undergraduate studies she painted numerous murals, with or without permission, in abandoned buildings, barrios and indoor spaces as a way to bring beauty to each site. By creating her own visual language with bright colors and flowing brush strokes that simulate nature, she recieved recognition as a mural painter in her country. Sofia's artwork is a blend of fashion trends, the Latina female aesthetic and various street culture elements, such as skateboarding, graffiti, public art, reggaeton and punk music.



Serrano Contemporary/Sonnet Gallery- http://www.sonnetgallery.com/

Established in 2000, Serrano Contemporary/Sonnet Gallery highlights the works of emerging, mid-career and established artists from around the world. Through its exhibitions, the gallery seeks to serve as a bridge uniting distinctive visions from varied cultures, and to spark dialogues among the expressions and energies of its featured artists.

Gallery director and founder Ramses Serrano started his career in Caracas, Venezuela, opened his own gallery at age 25 in Sarasota, Florida, and in February 2008 expanded to New York’s Chelsea art district. The gallery exhibits contemporary works of art in all media, maintains an inventory of select works by its featured artists, and offers access to modern masters.



Born in Russia, Rita Zimerman and her family left the motherland and moved to Israel when she was four. Her love for art began when the family moved to Italy shortly after that, and she began learning the classical skills and techniques of figurative painting. When she moved to the U.S. and attended Ringling College of Art and Design, she switched direction toward more abstract work.

Recently, Rita has been using mixed media with acrylic paint, making whimsical and funky works that evoke a surreal, outlandish world. Inspired by the Austrians Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele, Rita uses decorative elements such as glitter and felt in her works, many of which integrate drawing and painting together. She works spontaneously, meaning that a painting can take either an hour or a week to make.



Tim Jaeger: A scholarship receipient and 2002 graduate of Ringling School of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida, Tim Jaeger is now director of a local gallery in the resort coastal town.

Recently named one of the city’s five rising artist talents by Sarasota Magazine, the 28-year-old artist was awarded the prestigious 2006 John and Mable Ringling Fellowship Grant and a 2007 Artist Residency and Fellowship at Chateau L’Hesperit, Moncaret, France. Jaeger’s figurative and abstract work on canvas reflect a passionate and wide-ranging vision. His images display his spontaneity and unyielding energy, and are highly emotional expressions of his response to the world around him. Whether it’s a painting of a woman’s face, a chicken, an abstract diptych, or a tribute to a formative painter in his life, such as Gauguin, his work consistently causes pause and reflection.

Marian Goodman Gallery- www.mariangoodman.com

For over twenty years, the Marian Goodman Gallery has played an important role in introducing

European artists to American audiences and helping to establish a vital dialogue among artists and

institutions working internationally. The Marian Goodman Gallery was founded in New York City in late 1977 and has recently expanded to include an exhibition space in Paris. In 1965,prior to the establishment of the gallery, Marian Goodman founded Multiples, which published prints, multiples, and books by leading American artists, such as Richard Artschwager, John Baldessari, Dan Graham, Sol Lewitt, Roy Lichenstein, Claes Oldenburg, Robert Smithson, and Andy Warhol. From 1968 to 1975,Multiples worked with European artists, introducing early editions by Joseph Beuys, Marcel Broodthaers, Blinky Palermo, and Gerhard Richter to American audiences.



Christian Boltanski: Award winning, heavily exhibited French artist. Portrait photograph instillations, look like altars or tributes. Multiple portraits in B and W built into instillations.



Ch’i Contemporary Fine Art- http://www.chicontemporaryfineart.com/

Established in Williamsburg, Brooklyn in 1999 and directed by Tracy Causey-Jeffery is committed to exhibiting vibrant contemporary art by living artists: both mid-career and emerging. Ch’i exhibits works in two distinct styles: abstract, textural or fragmented figurative.



Christine Sciulli is a video/installation artist working in New York City. Born with poor eyesight, the blurry world provided a steady stream of intrigue for Christine Sciulli. After getting glasses, she was a constant fixture in her father's wood and metal shop. She holds an Architectural Engineering degree from Penn State University and an MFA in Combined Media from Hunter College.



Sy Gresser has been sculpting in stone and wood for over 50 years.He was groomed originally for a career in business and had received advanced degrees from the University of Maryland. Then through the encouragement of a friend, he enrolled in a summer carving class at George Washington University. From that moment on, Sy ahs carved stone. He studied further at the Institute of Contemporary Fine Art in Washington, D.C. where he met his mentor, Bill Taylor. Sy Gresser believes that art celebrates human existence on a spiritual level and transcends the ideas of religion- any religion as well as the ideas of race.? He feels that his sculpture have a universality of line and form mixed with what he calls, " impossible juxtapositions.