Stumbled upon this gallery during Monterey car week and found some new favorite artists and old favorites. Judith at the Main Street gallery showed us around and gave us some great information and then walked us up to their other building (about 2 blocks up the street) where we met her husband who was running that portion of the gallery. Beautiful art here. I found a new favorite sculptor and many more artists. Definitely stop by. There is a multitude of art styles so your bound to find something that fits your fancy. read more

Classic Art Gallery - Art Galleries Near Me - Carmel, California

We were moving to the Bay Area a few years ago. We were putting offers on homes... we had our sculpture garden already imagined. We put a downpayment of $5000 dollars on a sculpture... within a year... everything fell apart... mother diagnosed w terminal cancer... we had to abandon our dreams and move to Southern California... where mom then passed away... followed by dad... then more life happened... to this day... they have not returned our deposit. Do yourselves a favor - avoid Sanya and her business as they do not operate within ethical boundaries. They refuse to refund our $5k!!! read more

Took my wife to this gallery yesterday. We were ignored by the staff when we walked in even though the place was empty. Sadly pretentious if you ask me. read more

Worst gallery experience ever. Staff completely ignored me when I walked in but greeted other visitors. Asked about a piece and got the condescending "it's probably out of your price range" treatment. Save your time and dignity - plenty of galleries nearby where they don't size you up before deciding if you deserve service. read more

Bought two great pieces excellent service and selection. Looking forward to returning to Carmel soon to see what new pieces they have available. read more

The first art gallery we went to during our Carmel trip earlier this month. They have two locations - we visited the smaller gallery (at Ocean & Dolores) on our first evening, and the larger one (at San Carlos & Sixth) the following afternoon. Highlights of our trip: - Bird on still life paintings by Mary Kay West - Snowy landscapes by Michael Wheeler - Masterpieces by Antoine Blanchard, Edouard Cortes, and Luigi Loir The proprietor was friendly and answered our questions patiently. He guided us to a couple of rooms where our kids could sit quietly and appreciate the art, which was probably my favorite part. Thank you Classic Art Gallery. We will be back! read more

Classic Art Gallery - My favorite part was watching our kids sit and appreciate the art. - Art Galleries Near Me - Carmel, California

This is a wonderful gallery. My son is quite the artist, and it's always fun going to different art galleries with him. The gentleman, who was probably the owner or manager, was very patient and knowledgeable. He walked through the gallery and told us about some of the local artists and their work. Some of the paintings are of Carmel and are truly breathtaking. We liked hearing about the different styles and techniques each of the artists preferred. My son admires each person's work, and it was so nice to have an employee explain things in such a thoughtful way. We had a really nice experience here! This is a gallery we'd go to again. The service was thoughtful and patient, and the art was absolutely beautiful. We look forward to going back if we're ever in Carmel! read more

Classic Art Gallery - Art Galleries Near Me - Carmel, California

"The celebration of love, celebration of being together", a kind creative lady, named Diane Smiley expressed Gesso Cocteau's artwork to me. I loved how Diane perceived the art with her unique voice of language. I was stunned to see Gesso Cocteau's wooden sculpture. I said: Together, we can make freedom happen. This artwork gives me deep inspiration for all life's creatures. Diane said, let me show you more of Gesso Cocteau's art. Spontaneously, we made a natural connection with Gesso's creativity. Diane took me to another Art Gallery, she introduced me to more sculptures and alive paintings. Diane Smiley is an elegant lady. She was an art teacher, raising her family in Carmel. Art is dominant in her body of languages. We walked into the street and shared our mutual joy about art. Two strangers met at the gallery, talking like old friends. It was a friendly time to share the attraction of art with a person who is so inspirational and knowledgeable. This is Carmel, a town with more than 70 Art Galleries with rich presentation of alive art. A meeting with Diane Smiley was sweet like a pack of gifts with knowledge and kindness. Thank you for all the incredible artwork, I truly appreciate the art that prompts compassion and love to this world. You made my ordinary Thursday unforgettable. read more

Classic Art Gallery Galleries in Carmel are often quaint, and this one, with one (of the two) entrances hidden behind a tree, is quaint-quaint-quaint. That's a 3-Q rating, the only 3-Q rating in the country. In fact, if your weight is over 300#, use the other entrance 'cause you won't make it in. . To understand what surrounds you when you enter an art gallery, you have to have a little bit of an understanding about who the people are behind it, those that run it on a day to day basis, what's in their hearts and minds. You know to know the caliber of the people you're dealing with, because you're going to trust them with your money in return for fine art for your home and often it can be quite pricey. Behind this gallery you have Sanya and Jovan Micovic, two people who are not only dedicated to their business, but loyal and attentive to their artists as well. I say loyal to their artists, because in the art business that word "loyalty" is a two way street. I put Sanya's name first, because she cooks the best stuffed peppers I've ever had anywhere, and they're especially delicious when you sit at her table and watch the sun go down over the Pacific. But these two people are dedicated and knowledgeable, and when you walk in, you can trust them to inform you properly about what is on their walls. They're Serbs, and today there are a lot of Serbs in the art business, which you did not find 25 years ago. A dynamic people, good in business, and hard-working. In fact, Serbs learn to speak English without an accent, so the tongue must stretch and wiggle in the same manner as in the English language. But you want to know what the gallery is about, right? Well, their display is always nice and orderly, paintings well hung, and the art of a high quality. You have to take your time though, to stand and study it, to see if what is there has an appeal for you. They always carry Parisian scenes, by Edourado Cortes, Eveylyn Blanchard, her father Antoine Blanchard, and E. Galien Lalouis. There are marine scenes, landscapes, still-life, genre scenes, either realism or impressionism, the many artists shown all a good choice. Take a look, for example, at the work of Hans Moerkerken (try to pronounce that one). I cannot name all the artists, but the overall quality ranges from good to excellent; you make the selection. Your friends might tell you different, but it is what's in your heart that counts. Your selection might have been in the storage room for three years, but that doesn't mean that it is not the best painting in the gallery. What you're mainly concerned with is how trustworthy the people are who founded the gallery, and they are (and the stuffed peppers did not influence my opinion, believe me). Actually, they have two galleries, the second one on Ocean Avenue, and you don't have to climb that tree to get into it. Jovan actually lets his pet monkey climb the tree, but it often ties up traffic, so he does not allow that too often. The staff is excellent. They have to be in order for Jovan to play his daily games of tennis. Oh, back to the art, downstairs they have some very fine works too, so allow yourself time to browse. Now, as a disclousure, I'm a dealer and artist's representative, but with 50 years of experience, and I don't think that that should disqualify me from giving you the insight into galleries, and telling you what to look for when you step inside. There's a heart and soul to each business, and in each artist as well. There's a story behind each painting as well, and some can be quite hilarious, others sad. Do I still sell art? Of course. Can I be objective? Sure, if I want to be. Am I? Of course. Is that the truth? Now, would I tell a lie? I'll cover other galleries too, but I hate to read what a S.F. or L.A. reviewer writes about Carmel as a whole. They walk by a few galleries, put their noses up in the air, drink a couple of bottles of Chardonnay with dinner, paying a lot more for it than they would if it was not on an expense account, sleep it off in a $400 per night room, then drive home as if they had done something worthwhile. I once read an article in Time Magazine, complete with pictures, and the guy was so far off base that I figured he must have gotten his Art Degree from Cornell, and been absent from class about 60% of the time.. If you can find a copy of the book, read Precious Garbage. It tells you a lot about reviewers, and, you could even be one after reading the book. But don't. Stay sane. The L.A. Times used to take our advertising money, so under the theory that a reviewer would be thought biased, those who advertised did not get reviewed. I called up all the dealers whom I knew and we quit advertising in the Calendar Section. That was years ago. I think that their reviewers all went to Berkeley anyway, so we didn't miss much. Howard E. Morseburg read more

Wonderful selection of styles, warm friendly advisors. We encountered 5 total, including Brett who assisted us. Highly recommend.

My husband and I have always wanted to buy art, but were a bit apprehensive as it can be intimidating and expensive. We are very glad we came across Classic Art Gallery on a recent trip to Carmel. Not only did we find a painting we both loved but Brett was very patient with us. He is very passionate about art and we are glad he took the time to share his knowledge with us. Still can't believe we actually bought original art work, but we are very happy with it. read more