I think this is the only REAL "art gallery" in Vegas. If you are a serious collector, and buying or…read moreselling REAL paintings, you need to know about this guy. I think this is basically a 1 man operation. I first ran into this guy at the Baltimore art & antiques show in august. Don't ask me what i was doing in shitty baltimore in august, lol. At least they have great seafood. This antiques show is pretty interesting, and they have some top dealers from all over the country. The best part is that the prices are cheap, because it's mostly dealer selling to other dealers. Since it's the end of summer, and that business is slow, and most dealers are desperate. That's the part where i come in, lol.
funny story: So I'm walking down the aisle and I see this booth packed with a crazy range of paintings. This guy had italian renaissance paintings from the 1500's hanging right next to 1950s' french abstracts. Let's just say it was an "eclectic" selection. Stuff from $200 to $200k. Most prices were in line what the stuff might sell for at auction. This guy basically sells at "wholesale" prices, so won't get molested, like you will if you buy from a typical gallery. ha! We started talking, and it turns out they're based in vegas! The guy is originally from NY, but he's been in vegas for a few years apparently. Anyhow, he had a really nice french 60's painting which i wanted to buy but the price was $15K and he would not budge. So I passed. Not my smartest decision....6 months later I see this same painting sells for $40k at sotheby's london.
When I got back home, I was telling my friend, who has some major art, about this guy... It turns out, my friend actually sold him a serious painting a few months earlier! He found this guy online when he was looking to sell his painting which was big-ticket, but hard to sell in US because most of the collectors for it were in europe. So he calls this guy and they agree to a price. A few hours later, this guy drives up to my friends house in an old and banged up audi convertible....with a bank check for mid-6 figures. Or course, my friend tells him "wait while I call the bank to make sure the check is good". We're in vegas, duh! Apparently the check was good...so the guy wraps up the painting, tosses it in the back of the car, and drives off with the top down. My friend said this guy was a straight shooter, unlike most art dealers, who are basically used car salesmen.
btw, the address on lake mead is not the physical location. It's actually not a gallery open to the unwashed masses. I think they are opening or have opened a "by-appointment only" gallery near the strip but under a different name? This guy who runs this also has an auction house in NY called Carlyle. Yes, confusing, but if you are serious collector, worth checking out.