Galerie d' Este profile

I sat down with Suzanne Rackover, an art consultant for Galerie D'Este, an upscale art gallery situated on Greene avenue in Westmount, specializing in contemporary Quebec, Canadian and international art. I asked her to tell me a little about what the gallery is about and what it has to offer.

The gallery was opened in June 2006 by Mark Leibner. A business person with a special interest in art who has been a collector for 25 years, he was inspired to take his passion to a new level by becoming a gallery owner and representing young and established artists.

" 3/4 of the artwork we represent is Canadian, while 1 / 4 is mostly European," says Rackover. "The pieces on the walls rotate every month and during the month . We make changes depending on what's coming in and out of the gallery."

The big show in the fall is Jean-Paul Jérôme. "He was a member of Les Plasticiens - a movement which began in 1955 and was a founding father of Quebec geometric abstraction which is a strong current in Quebec art. He's in the National gallery and in major museums," says Rackover. "It is our big show for the fall season."

They also represent Angela Grossman who has a Masters in Fine Arts from Concordia and is a professor at the Emily Carr Institute.

"She is also in the National gallery and has been around for 30 years. She is a strong artist and we are very happy to have her in the gallery. Her pieces are special, " she says.

I asked Suzanne if there was a lot of interest in art and she replied that yes there is a collector's market. "People want to own and collect art. There is a lot of interest in artists with singular voices," says Rackover.

Este also represents Susan Szenes, a Toronto artist who I was told won an honourable mention at the outdoor art exhibition in Toronto and won a prize last year.

It is the owner, Mark Leibner and the director, Charlotte Racine, who decide which artists they will showcase. They look for artists who they can build upon and grow with. They look at portfolios and attend art fairs and shows in search of artists appropriate for Este. They will take on young artists, recent graduates, established- anyone with potential. Is the work good, does it inspire: these are the things they look for.

I myself was drawn into the Gallery D'este by a aluminum wire mannequin sculpture in the window. There is a fanciful, yet very strong comment that is made by the piece. There are several of them around the room and one of them is called Miss Nice and Easy and is wire mesh mannequin with a black tutu. I asked Rackover about the artist.

"The artist is Sophie de Francesca and she is a sculptor based in Ontario who studied at the Ontario College of Art. She did large scale sculptures during her student days. She saw the intrinsic beauty of the properties of aluminum and wire. Her work, and this is my interpretation, is about the role of women and the push and pull," she says.

Another piece that drew me in was a painting by Angel Mateo Charris, an artist based in Spain, and one of their international artists.

"He is a member of the contemporary figurative movement in Spain and is housed in 2 major museums in Spain, "she says. " He is inspired by American mid century figurative and by artists such as Edward Hopper." Los Estoicos II translates as the Stoics and depicts a man with a camera standing in front of a huge wave that is about to sweep him away.

Their website is a tool that offers artists' pages, the walls and reserves. No prices are listed but you are invited to call or come in, look and ask questions. Everyone in the gallery has an excellent knowledge of the art they represent.

From a press release: Galerie d'Este is named in honour of Isabella D'este (1474-1539), the Renaissance art patron who supported the most gifted artists of her time. The gallery's mission is to promote the work of the best Quebecois, Canadian and international contemporary artists.

Galerie d'Este located at 1329 Greene avenue, Westmount, Quebec.
T: 514- 846-1515
www.galeriedeste.com