One Gallery’s Secret to Staying Relevant in a Digital World

Photo courtesy of Childs Gallery

If you live in or have ever visited the city of Boston, chances are you’ve strolled down Newbury Street. A popular tourist destination for shopping, food, and the arts, the street in a sense reflects the essence of Boston: lined with aging brownstones, it holds an extensive history that’s juxtaposed with modern stores, restaurants, and street performers. For 79 years, the famous street has also been home to the renowned Childs Gallery.

A History Rooted in New England

 

“Pedazos del Mundo #15” by Robert S. Neuman, American, 1962. Photo courtesy of Childs Gallery

Since its doors opened in 1937 through today, Childs Gallery has been bursting with New England works of art, from paintings to prints to sculpture. Sources and subject matter reflected in the artwork have derived from that very local focus. “When Childs was founded, most of the really great, older works were located in New England. The specialties Childs has developed over the years have been tied to our location and eye for Boston and New England area artists and movements,” says Richard Baiano, who co-runs the gallery with Stephanie Bond.

When Charlie Childs founded the gallery, he first established a reputation for dealing in New England marine paintings. Artists Robert Salmon, who some consider the “Father of American Luminism,” and Fitz Henry Lane were among the first two artists that Childs brought to market. Today, their paintings are quite valuable, reaching 5-6 digit prices.

“Later, in the 1960s, Childs abruptly decided to retire and turned over the gallery to long-time employee, Carl Crossman,” says Baiano. Before Crossman became an expert in Chinese export art, he partnered with Roger Howlett, bringing American colonial work and art of the 19th century, from the Hudson River School to American Impressionism, to Childs. Howlett also developed a speciality in American figurative art, particularly of the 20th century, and American Marine Impressionism.

Fast forward to 1999 when Baiano – then a print seller on eBay – took a stroll down Newbury and into Childs, where he purchased a print from Stephanie Bond, who started at the gallery in 1998. Baiano asked if the gallery needed any assistance, became a weekend intern and then, after working for a few years as an architect, returned to Childs in 2004 as the Director of Operations.

“Stephanie and I formed a partnership and eventually took over the gallery in 2009. Over the past 7 years, we’ve been tailoring it more to meet today’s needs,” says Baiano.

Bridging Past & Present

“Patient View” by Sean Flood, American, 2014. Photo courtesy of Childs Gallery

In the last 20 years, Childs has been dealing almost exclusively in secondary market material. But today’s market, Bond and Baiano say, is more interested in the “now” than the more historic pieces that Childs has long been known for selling.

Two Children at Play with a White Bird” by Michele Felice Corne, c. 1810,
Americal Federal Period, Childs Gallery

That said, the owners are choosing their artwork wisely. They make sure contemporary works serve to complement and embrace the gallery’s works of the past. “About 10-15 years ago, we started to add contemporary artists working with the same parameters as some of our historical artists,” says Bond. “The contemporary work helps to contextualize some of our older work.”

A work by Chuck Close, for example, connects the contemporary world back to the Renaissance period. The anamorphic imagery, says Bond, was first seen during the Renaissance.

Self-Portrait (anamorphic)” by Chuck Close, 2007, number 11 in an edition of 20, Childs Gallery

The pair also focus on American painting from 1940-1980, including both Abstract Expressionist artists and artists working alongside them in a more figurative tradition, much like the Boston Expressionists and Magic Realists of the past.

To help serve newer generations and collectors, the gallery has an extensive print department, which Bond says allows for people to buy well-known works at more attainable prices. The print department has pieces from the Renaissance through contemporary, including Old Masters and strong 19th and 20th century material. Further interweaving the old with the new, current ongoing print exhibitions feature 19th-century French printmaker Félix Buhot as well as contemporary American artist Carol Wax.

Bond and Baiano have also brought in works by Erik Desmazières, who specializes in etchings and aquatints and is considered one of the best contemporary printmakers who works with more traditional techniques today.

Entrance Hall with a Globe” by Erik Desmazières, 2009, final State (iii/III),
number 50 in an edition of 75, Childs Gallery

An Online Future

The art world has come a long way in the last 79 years.

Because so much is happening over a short period of time with new ways of communication and social media, Bond and Baiano say that it only makes sense to move some of their inventory online, embracing platforms like Invaluable to cover all channels.

“When we took over the gallery, we made a conscious decision to pay as much attention to future collectors as we do to the collectors that have long been with us, since the days of Charlie Childs,” says Baiano. “The way you reach these new collectors is through social media, and we’re certainly noticing an increase of these in younger generations coming into receptions. They seem to be getting the message.”

“What’s really special about Childs is that we have so much older material, and when it’s exhibited beside contemporary photographs, for example, people say things like, ‘Wow, you have a Rembrandt next to it!’” says Bond. “Younger generations have a lot to learn, and to help them, we’re trying to go where they go.”

Photo courtesy of Childs Gallery

“I have built a lot of close relationships with people who have art and create art – from more established collectors to newer collectors to emerging artists to people who find artwork in their attics,” adds Baiano. “What’s special about what we can do through our programs here at the gallery is exhibit and promote material and share the traditions of art and collecting with a broader audience.”

So what’s next for Childs Gallery?

Moving forward means carrying on that very curatorial mission: to continue finding unique connections between the old and the new, maintaining the relevance of the older art they hold dearly.

“Really, we want to continue doing everything Childs has done well, and continually find new ways to do it better,” says Baiano.

Childs owners Richard Baiano & Stephanie Bond. Photo courtesy of Childs Gallery

See more works up for offer by Childs Gallery, or check out the gallery’s current exhibition, “Anne Lyman Powers: Seven Decades of Painting.”