It is with great sadness that we announce the departure of Gallery Katz. Along with Clifford-Smith Gallery (whose closing was so rapid that Big RED failed to properly eulogize their great work! [1]), Gallery Katz brought unique energy, ideas and artwork to the 450 Harrison complex. Drew Katz was a great supporter of artists, and of Big RED, and we wish him nothing but the best in all his future endeavors.
Gallery Katz, on the third floor of 450, was known for formal works, often inpired by architecture or design. It was Gallery Katz that brought Shepard Fairey to Boston, and maintained our strongest link to the work coming out of RISD. His gallery might be summarized in a quote from an interview last year: "The whole point of having a gallery, especially naming it after yourself, is to let people know the type of work you like and choose to show. I can’t help but show the things that I really like, and that is a lot of print, a lot of architectural influenced images. Then I also try to do things like works on paper that are more affordable. One of the important things I try to look at with a show is ‘Can I afford something in my own show?’"
The official announcement from the gallery read:
For the last four years, Gallery Katz has had a quiet but persistant presence in the city of Boston. We have been tucked away on the third floor of 450 Harrison Avenue with a few other terrific galleries like OSP, OH+T and the recently defunct Clifford-Smith Gallery (which I greatly miss), to name a few. Along with the several fine–art galleries located within the building, we have successfully delivered fresh, hip exhibitions month after month to the city of Boston. Somehow, the galleries manage to stay open in an extremely unfriendly Boston art market. While our location has offered several new opportunities, I have grown increasingly unhappy in the current environment. As the lease on my exhibition space approaches, I have decided to close Gallery Katz on June 17th, 2006.
As I think of those responsible for making my experience rewarding, a special thanks to the few media outlets in Boston that regularly and genuinely support the local art scene with appropiately timed reviews, critiques and coverage. Namely, Big Red and Shiny, and The Boston Globe.
Thanks for your support in the form of kind words, money, nonthreatening emails, thoughts, criticisms and friendships. Although I am not sure if I will open in another location, I promise that I’ll be a lot louder next time around.
Best wishes and good luck, Drew Katz
[1] - Thankfully, Rob Clifford did it for us...
Links:
Gallery Katz
A CONVERSATION WITH DREW KATZ by MATTHEW NASH in issue #20
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- Drew Katz in his gallery.
