Whitewall & Gertrude bring back the art Salon for the Armory

Gertrude is a recently established club in New York modeled after Gertrude Stein’s famous Paris Salon that brought together collectors and artists who later came to define modernism – Picasso, Braque, Matisse, or Apollinaire. Like Stein’s salon, Gertrude presents an artists’ work for discussion and acquisition at a one-hour event for 20-40 collectors.

The first Whitewall-curated salon took place at Amoros’ studio in Tribeca. It was an intimate evening, where guests had the unique opportunity to discover the artist’s lighting sculpture and installation while sipping Billecart-Salmonchampagne and nibbling on hors d’oeuvres. After presenting short videos on the Peruvian-born artist’s recent inspirations, the Uros Islands in Lake Titicaca, Grimanesa spoke openly about why she works in light and her ongoing fascination with the shape of bubbles.

Two nights later was Parker’s salon, which took place at a spacious loft in the West Village (via onefinestay) that boasted an enormous mahogany bar – perfect for serving flutes of Billecart-Salmon champagne. Several paintings and a drawing by Parker were on view, some from his recent “Still Lifes” and his past “Heads” and “Hydroglyphs” series. Keeping things cozy, Whitewall’s editor in chief Katy Donoghue and Parker sat with guests leading an informal conversation about his process, choice of vibrant colors, and newest Tumblr-inspired paintings.

More on Gertrude: while technology is making it easier to connect people, Gertrude takes advantage of it to bring them together in-person at unique gatherings around art. Members and artists are carefully picked by Gertrude’s committee judging on their diverse backgrounds ensuring rich conversations in amazing locations. One hour with one artist and forty collectors at a time meet at a location which is only disclosed by e-mail a few hours before. Usually a moderator is here to converse with the artist, sharing her/his passion for the work to admire or even buy if you want. In the cold world of galleries, it was great to actually be part of a salon that felt intimate and humane. Gertrude Salons are already happening in New York City every week and they have an exciting line-up of artists. You can find out more on www.gertrude.co