Arts & Culture Magazine - November/December 2007 - (Page 18)

Nov/Dec Extra! Extra! Artworthy happenings around town. 2007 New Gallery Opening Downtown By Chris Angermann Michel Judge in his upcoming gallery space, Modern Times Gallery. Michel Judge has had art galleries all over the world. Now the 64-year-old painter, filmmaker and photographer has opened Modern Times Gallery on Main Street above the Main Bookshop across from the Hollywood 20 Cinema. The two floors will be accessible by an outside elevator and have 12,000 feet of display area for museum-grade art. “This city has a thirst for fine art,” Judge says. “There is going to be a renaissance here, and I want to be a leader for it.” The idea is to showcase the work of living artists and the great masters while offering special exhibits throughout the year. “There will always be a permanent exhibit—almost like a museum,” Judge explains, “as well as special exhibits, 18 : : arts and culture magazine so that people can compare the contemporary artists with recognized masters.” The first special exhibit—all about Marilyn Monroe—will open in December and feature the works of famous photographers and artists such as Andy Warhol. But Judge wants the Modern Times Gallery to become a home for more than just visual art. He believes that we are on the cusp of an international cultural renaissance in art that will see the integration of forms, genres and media not seen since the 1920s and ‘30s when the Bauhaus Movement explored art, furniture, building art and architecture all at once. To that end, he has ambitious plans to create an artistic environment in which everything is of the highest quality, from handmade state-of-the-art sound systems to poetry, video and film presentations, and all the furnishings. “I’m not closing the door to any art—if a great architect comes by, I will want to show his drawings,” he insists. One of the partners in the gallery is Richard Burns, a renowned poet from Cambridge, England, who will conduct readings twice a year and collaborate with Judge on creating new art using language and paint. Another is Jens Albiez, president of Sternberg Interiors, who has moved his design business on premise and will handpick the finest furnishings for the gallery. Each special exhibition will have new furniture pieces. “You’ll be sitting on $25,000 sofas that are works of art in themselves,” says Judge. In addition, an in-house atelier will produce serigraphs and giclees (fine art re-prints made from a digital source), allowing the public to witness the process of fine art graphics being made. Local artists will be invited to participate as well. The whole idea is to create a salon like atmosphere and make Modern Times Gallery a hub for artistic excitement. Says Judge, “I want Sarasota to be the next mecca for fine arts.” Modern Times Gallery is located at 1962 Main St. Call 941.365.2800 or visit www.moderntimesgallery.com for more information. http://www.moderntimesgallery.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Arts & Culture Magazine - November/December 2007

Arts & Culture Magazine - November/December 2007 Contents Extra! Extra! Modern Times Gallery Interview - Jopseph Caulkins Exhibitions Dodi Reifenberg and Bradley Wester Profiles Center Stage Carnevale Horse Feathers Grill & Lounge Dancing on the Stage of Life Gallery Guide Calendar of Events

Arts & Culture Magazine - November/December 2007

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