Douglas Elliman’s Carroll Gardens Office Exhibits Local Artists
By Tobias Salinger June 3, 2014 8:00 am
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The walls of Douglas Elliman’s Carroll Gardens office are up for lease each month. But the rent is free.
Artist and curator Leon Nicholas Kalas of nearby Boerum Hill has teamed up with executive vice president and director of sales Camille Logan to turn the office at 325 Court Street into an exhibit space for artists looking for free exposure.
New paintings and photography exhibits rotate every month in the office with 40 employees, and Ms. Logan says everyone is welcome to drop in to see the works.
“It’s a different feeling for the office every month as the different art comes in,” said Ms. Logan, who started the series when her friend Mr. Kalas suggested it last year. “It keeps the office fresh and it’s a great way to connect with our Brooklyn neighborhood.”
Mr. Kalas booked a collection of six silk-screened posters of New York City bars and taverns by Brooklyn artist John Tebeau through the end of June, but he posted a LinkedIn announcement on Sunday soliciting bids for future months.
“Artists are willing to give their work, especially when it’s free of charge,” said Mr. Kalas,74, who has been producing oil portrait paintings in Boerum Hill for roughly five decades.
The rotating exhibit is far from the first offered up to art lovers by the full-service brokerage firm, notes spokeswoman Ashley Murphy. Famed Central Park artist Christo once covered the company’s Bridgehampton office in a wrap and the firm’s 980 Madison Avenue location, next door to Manhattan’s Gagosian Gallery, recently displayed 16 abstract canvasses by Carrie Sunday and a collection of prized personal letters written by figures such as Vincent Van Gogh, Charles Dickens and John Lennon.
“It has always been important to Dottie Herman, our CEO, to promote the arts as well as artists,” said Ms. Murphy in an email conversation. “It’s also the perfect complement to real estate, when you think about it. If one is looking to fill a great space, it’s often with great art. People are also viewing high-end properties more as limited edition art pieces in and of themselves – collectors’ editions, if you will. It’s a good marriage.”
Mr. Tebeau will hold an opening reception for his Henry James-inspired series, Great Good Places, on Thursday, June 12 at 7 p.m. at Douglas Elliman’s Carroll Gardens office.
