OPENING RECEPTION: 1st THURSDAY, JANUARY 2, 2020 | FROM 5-8pm

Sullivan Goss has built a reputation for its acquisition and representation of important Artist’s Estates. These Estates allow the Gallery to offer vintage museum quality works by artists who are broadly collected by public institutions straight from the studio of the artist.

It all began in 1992, when Anya Fisher, the Gallery’s first contemporary artist, died and left a studio full of paintings. Former Gallery owners Frank Goss and Patricia Sullivan Goss bought half of the Estate of the Artist and agreed to represent the rest. Hence, the business of acquiring artist’s estates, researching them, cleaning and conserving the work, and reintroducing them to the public became a mainstay of the Gallery’s business. Some Estates, like that of Don Freeman and Lydia Cooley, were acquired in one fell swoop. Others, like that of Lockwood de Forest, were acquired over time. Some were sold in a matter of just a couple of years. Others represent a project of decades.

Integral to the whole affair has been assessing the quality and quantity of the “anchor” pieces. In gallery parlance, these are the works that show great command of materials and a clear and unique voice. Anyone who sees one of these works can easily understand why the Gallery might undertake representation. This exhibition will be full of them – one from each Artist’s Estate where work is still available to present.