From the Estate of…

The dilemma that families and friends face upon an artist's death is how to handle the collection of artwork, papers and memorabilia left behind. An immediate disposal of the art at auctions results in the dispersion of works in a haphazard manner, lowering their value as artwork floods onto the market.
Furthermore, the opportunity for a careful examination of the artist by a professional in the field is forfeited.Bert Gallery has taken an interest in managing multiple artists' estates in order to preserve artistic legacies of merit. The successes of an artist may vary in the art world and are subject to fickle art trends. The role of the gallery is to ride out those ups and downs and support quality work that may not have altered art history, but reflects important aspects of an art period or regional trends.

Current artist estates managed by the gallery include:

• Grace Albee (1890 - 1985), 20th century printmaker
• Henry Newell Cady (1849 - 1935), late 19th century marine painter
• Edgar Corbridge (1910 - 1988), 20th century precisionist water colorist
• James. D. Herbert (1896-1970), early 20th century figurative painter
• Gordon Peers (1909 -1988), 20th century painter
• Florence Leif (1913 - 1968), 20th century painter
• Edna Martin (1896 - 1996) late 20th century printmaker

 

Historic Regional Artists

Bert Gallery specializes in the artists that lived and painted in Rhode Island and its environs dating back to the late 19th century. These painters are, in essence, the cornerstones of the state's cultural heritage. Even though noted portrait and landscape artists came before this coterie of artists, it is the likes of E.M. Bannister, Helen Phelps, Sydney Burleigh, Charles Stetson and George Whitaker who rallied the art community and local institutions to greater artistic heights.
In their day, these artists painted and exhibited, contributing to the national crusade to bring American aesthetic consciousness to parity with that of Europe. Through diligent work, they developed enough technical craft and artistic proficiency to gain entry into national arenas, including the 1876 Bicentennial Celebration in Philadelphia and the 1893 Columbian Exposition. In present day art circles, many historic Rhode Island artists are recognized for their prominence and merit in museum exhibitions at the Whitney Museum, Corcoran Gallery of Art and National Museum of American Art.
Bert Gallery has a sampling of turn-of-the-century Rhode Island artists' works as they become available. These artists painted a wide range of subject matter and styles to express themselves. All struggled to represent new artistic visions- whether it was capturing a transitional time of the season, the daily rhythm of life, or boldly venturing into biblical and classical themes to communicate ethereal truths and ideals. And yes, another more progressive group trying to capture on canvas the reality of industrial life in post Civil War America. Our painters reflect the cultural and social concerns of time. More importantly, viewers can gain insight into those artists who founded the very cultural institutions, which today insure that Providence will always remain a vibrant and active cultural center.

 

Contemporary Artists

The struggle of the creative soul has been the topic of many a book over the centuries. Bert Gallery works closely with a few of the talented artists in the region who are promoted regularly at the gallery through exhibits.

The gallery has on file a photo inventory of available works by figurative painter Denise Baxter, landscape artist Lee Dimeo, abstract painter Frank Gasbarro, photographer Erik Gould, ceramic sculpture Jeff Margolin, painter Paula Martiesian, sculptor Kenn Speiser, and figurative painter Robert Thornton. Bert Gallery is pleased to work with other area artists Priscilla Cane, Kathy Hodge, Kate Huntington, Regina Partridge, Mimi Sammis and Dick McElroy.