Rare finds by old masters

Turkeys are not the most inspiring things to paint, so no major turkey art shows this week. There are, however, some favorite people who are in town and certainly worth a visit.

The Julia Santen Gallery is a vintage poster gallery that normally deals in original, rare, and unusual poster art dating from 1890 to the 1960s. Owner Julia Santen has decided to branch out this fall by adding some works by Old Masters. Santen currently has five Rembrandt etchings and 12 other dry point/etching/lithograph/aquatints by Cezanne, Cassatt, Manet, Pissarro, Renoir, Helleu, Chagall, Leger, Rouault and de Koonig.

One of the most notable of these is an etching by Rembrandt called "Adoration of the Shepherds." The piece portrays a touching Christian manger scene, complete with all the animals surrounding Christ and the shepherds. There is also a 1954 lithography by Chagall that depicts a mother and child at the Eiffel Tower. An expert in vintage works, Santen says that this signed and numbered piece is "a very good impression of this scarce, early print."

Yet another example of these rare finds is an 1898 lithograph by Toulouse-Lautrec that even has the artist's red ink stamp in the left corner.

If you are a serious collector, this is a great opportunity to get your hands on some work by some of the most famous names in art history. Visit the Julia Santen Gallery in person at 188 King St., at www.juliasantengallery.com or call 534-0758.

Redux Art Auction

This past Saturday's art auction fundraiser for Redux was deemed a tremendous success. With some really killer art up for grabs, food and bubbles, and Josh Silverman as the auctioneer, a great night was had by all. People were even calling in bids! Jonathan Brilliant's metal piece got a pretty price, and I'm still super-jealous of whomever got that Herb Parker sculpture.

Bummer they only have the auction once a year. A lot more people would have much better artwork in their houses if there were more of these. Until next year, Redux.