By Henry Vermillion
In 1992 I was one of a handful of painters having coffee on the patio of the ancient Meson de San Jose on Calle Mesones. We were commiserating about how the three art galleries in town (there were only three) were not selling much of our work. They stuck our stuff in their bodegas where they never saw the light.
“Wait,” said one of us, “Look at that!” It was a for rent sign on one of the little locales around the patio. “Let’s start our own gallery!” And, in November of that year, Galeria Izamal opened in that 15-by-15 square foot space. To invent a phrase, the rest is history.
To celebrate our twenty-ninth anniversary, all day Saturday, November 27, Galeria Izamal artists will offer discounts, many of them substantial, on their work. The discounts will apply that day only. Most artists will allow a deposit to be put down that day to hold the piece. Our official celebration is from 6-8 pm. Our spacious new downtown location is at Jesus 25, Centro, just a few steps past Cuadrante.
Over the years, Galeria Izamal has featured the art of Jaime Goded, Peter Leventhal, Marion Perlet, Keith Miller, Stan Goldberg (the creator of “Archie” comics), Roberto Lopez Fuentevilla, Gerardo Ruiz, Jesus Real, Elena Baca, Juan Carlos Cazares, and many others. In our beginning years, through a connection with a Mexico City gallery, we also showed work of famed Mexican artists Francisco Zuniga, Rufino Tamayo, Jose Luis Cuevas, and Roberto Montenegro.
Galeria Izamal is and has always been a co-op, which means that each of the members share all gallery expenses and work. Since the gallery takes no commission from artist´s sales, artist member’s prices are generally 40 or 50 percent less than in commercial galleries.
Current gallery artists include Ted Davis, photographer; painters Juan Ezcurdia (also showing jewelry from his signature designs), Jeff Ferst, Javier Garcia, Cissy Smith Marks, Lawrence Selevan, Henry Vermillion, Britt Zaist, and the late artist/matador John Fulton; jeweler, Wolfgang Lichter; and sculptor, Sue Griffin.
The gallery is open daily from 11am-6:30pm.
