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David Leonardis Gallery Exterior
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Being both a painter and a writer, I took the opportunity to combine these two passions by exhibiting my paintings at
Chicago’s David Leonardis Gallery and writing about the gallery and my experience. I’ve exhibited my paintings in New York City, Dallas and Canada but the Leonardis exhibition proved to me that I could be "hung" in my home city.
It’s not easy having the masses look at ones work, ask you questions and become critics. This is why most artists have representatives or galleries hawking their work. The role of the artist is to create, not sell. That should be left to experts that know how to market art. That is the reason I sought out one of Chicago’s most qualified and successful art collectors and gallery owners, David Leonardis. T
he David
Leonardis Galleries (DLG) have been leading showplaces for established fine artists and nascent art talent since he opened his first gallery in Chicago’s Wicker Park/Bucktown area. Leonardis opened a second gallery in the trendy River North neighborhood in September of 2006 to reach an ever broader audience of art patrons.
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A peek inside the Gallery
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The larger of the two galleries is located in a lower level space at 217 West Huron Street, an area which, in the last few years, has seen an urban renewal that boasts great restaurants and many other galleries. The smaller of the two is located at 1346 North Paulina Street. The two galleries combined have over 2500 square feet of space and contain several hundred pieces of art. His collection of art includes lithographs of the 19th through 21st centuries, photography as well as
representations of contemporary works in the Pop, Folk, Primitive and Surrealistic genres.
In addition to individual patrons of art and the newbie to art collection, the gallery works with businesses to acquire well-rounded corporate collections. Leonardis admits to the inability of most artists to promote their own work so he works with them and advises them to take what may be a slightly faster road to financial success. The myth that artists become famous after they are long gone is a myth that David, with his sales and collecting expertise, can dispel.
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Gallery Interior
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Some of the artists Leonardis represents and shows at his galleries are: Howard Finster, Max Estes, Michael Balasis, Marc Hauser, Andy Kane, Walter Fydryck, Diane Roston-Shrago, Moro Ledajakis, Christopher Makos, Herb Nolan, Kristen Thiele and Mike Winn, to name just a few.
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Rhonda Sanderson, Diane Shrago and Candace Jordan at the opening of the show
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In order to understand his modus operandi and philosophy on art and art collection, I conducted the following interview with David. It will help you understand the convoluted mind of this gallery owner and art promoter.
Q. David, what is your background and what makes you an art guru?
A. Growing up in Ann Arbor, Michigan with a businessman father and a mother with a Bachelor of Fine Arts, I learned at an early age to appreciate the world of fine art and the business world. I also learned that people who appreciate fine art are more well- rounded than other people. If you know how to sacrifice something else to buy art you appreciate it and are more open to the beauty that art brings to those that look at it.
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Gallery Interior
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Q. Do you think you are different than other gallery owners?
A. Yes, to be a little different and a little cooler than other galleries, I wanted to establish a gallery with an eclectic stable of works. By that I mean a little bit off beat. Since I collected that type of art, I knew that with a little customer education, I could impart my own taste in art to the regular person and turn them into new collectors.
Q. Don’t most people just collect or buy what they like as individuals?
A. Some do, but most of the large art collections were bought by people that not only liked the work but many, in fact, most of them, had advisors. They had people they trusted to know market trends, who had the "pulse" of the art market and who could project which artists would achieve success in the future. It’s really quite simple. Most people are intimidated by galleries. If you take away the element of intimidation and replace that with education, you have people who want to learn. That’s the part of the job I have that I like best.
Q. Should people buy one work of art at a time?
A. If someone buys three pieces of art by two or three artists, they have a collection. If someone buys a few different mediums by the same artist, they have a retrospective. Then they and others can see movement. I encourage both. People need to rotate the art on their walls just like the great museums do. Neither art nor an artist should be static. And neither should a collector.
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Candace Jordan, (Art Patron),Diane Shrago (Artist/Author),David Leonardis (Gallery Owner)
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Both Leonardis galleries have frequent exhibit party openings. If you would like to receive invitations to the events, email or call one of the galleries to be put on their email invitation list. Call for hours of operation.
David Leonardis Gallery River North
217 West Huron #5
Chicago, IL 60654
312-863-9045
David Leonardis Gallery Wicker Park
1346 North Paulina
Chicago, IL 60622
david@dlg-gallery.com
www.DLG-gallery.com
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