Major art distinguishes new gallery in Brooklyn

By Rita A. Leonard

The Bee, Jul 7, 2010

Rita A. Leonard / THE BEE

“Experiencing Fine Art” featured these paintings by Simon bull in its first first “meet-the-artist event” at its newly-opened location on S.E. Powell Boulevard. Shown from left: Artist Simon Bull; gallery owners Darell and Joy Lustgraaf; and the gallery’s director, Mark Myers.

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Rembrandts and Dalis, Renoirs…oh my! Art lovers will be interested in a new art gallery just open in the Brooklyn neighborhood. “Experiencing Fine Art” conducted a grand opening Tuesday, June 1, at 1440 S.E. Powell Boulevard.

Owners Darell and Joy Lustgraaf display an eclectic mix of fine art pieces for purchase and perusal. Currently, they feature some etchings from Salvador Dali's Bibliosacra series, some woodcuts by Albrecht Durer, Faberge eggs, and prints by Peter Max. In addition, Darell sells fine art reproductions, and can also assist clients in acquiring other artwork by current and old masters on request.

This is the couple’s first public art gallery. Darell, a self-taught art connoisseur, has been a personal collector and museum owner for years.

“This has been my passion and love for a long time. I personally know many of the current artists, and enjoy sharing their work with others,” he says. “This gallery is all about high-end fine art in Portland. Through “meet-the-artist” events, we can enhance an art owner’s experience by photographing them with the artist, or allowing the artist to personalize their fine art purchase.”

Lustgraaf continues, “On June 12-13 we featured a meet-the-artist event focused on the paintings of Simon Bull from England, and Cao Yong from Beijing — two contemporary artists considered world masters. We hope to schedule regular, similar events here. I have commissions available from Simon Bull and iconic artist Peter Max, as well as originals, prints, and embellished commissions.

“By October I will be the Faberge dealer for the Theo Faberge St. Petersburg collection for the west coast. Theo Faberge is the great-grandson of Carl Faberge.”

Mark Myers, Art Director for the new Brooklyn gallery, formerly worked 11 years at the Rose City Gallery. “Here at ‘Experiencing Fine Art’ it’s as much of a museum as an art gallery,” he explains. “We currently display art pieces created in glass and bronze, etchings, paintings, woodcuts, and a reproduction of Michaelangelo’s ‘David’ made in Santini marble.

“In the center of the showroom, a large teak root table is carved with images of galloping horses. We also sell a few art books here, and have some work by Renoir, Chagall, and Goya, among others. We plan to soon carry original paintings by Thomas Kinkade.”

The gallery is open Wednesdays through Sundays from 10 am to 6 pm; its Internet website is: www.experiencingfineart.com. Darell Lustgraaf says he is always ready to discuss fine art with other connoisseurs (503/719-5368), and can broker items in the Masters series for those who wish to add to their collections.