Evan Lurie Galleries

Very interesting and expensive art work and displays. They have gorgeous sculptures and very inventive pieces.

Wow, this is really a world class gallery. Really fun, inventive stuff (agree with Betsy about the Ted Gall), and the space itself is gorgeous, with a great sitting area in front of a fireplace.

Carmel is lucky to have this caliber of an art gallery. Evan Lurie Galleries also reside in Beverly Hills and Miami.
It’s no wonder, then, that resident artist «Freeman» makes huge pictures of Hollywood sirens like Betty Davis, Mae West and Rita Hayworth with characterizing phrases – «Her Beauty should have been leashed»; «She understood the importance of a well-​executed phrase.» These huge pieces are done with a sort of piecemeal technique that still doesn’t eclipse the clear likeness of the particular Hollywood heiress. Yes, you’ll pay in the tens of thousands for them – but they’re investments!

I agree with Marie B.‘s assessment of the Evan Lurie Gallery. We too wandered in to get a peek at the works in this large gallery space that sits front and center in Carmel’s Arts & Design District. The openness of the gallery makes it so infinitely appealing to walk around in… plenty of space to take in the art from all angles. During our visit, we marveled at the sculptures of L’Oriano Galloni, which are larger than life wonders wrought of wood and marble. We also loved the glass sculptures of Marlene Rose, especially those with Buddha heads :-)
But, for me, the piece de resistance at this gallery was also one of its most affordable (smile) items. I won’t say exactly which one of the collection because I still live in hopes of owning it someday… yea, right!
Seriously, I loved the small sculptures of Ted Gall, who was an animator for Disney in his former life. These works, in my humble opinion are simply genius! They’re what you get when you combine one part curiosity, one part «jack-​in-​the-​box,» one part sculpture, one part puzzle and one part mechanical toy… but, they’re ALL art! Our gracious host, Bruce Lurie, informed us that my particular «pretty» of choice was a mere $ 2200.00. Actually, had I that coin I would gladly plunk it down for a Ted Gall piece and pat myself on the back for finally owning a «real» piece of art. Wondering how much freelance work and/​or moonlighting it would take to save 2 G’s for such an extravagance… hmmm…

I often wander in art galleries… just to stimulate my senses and maybe find a piece of art I can afford. I am not particularly knowledgeable, but I enjoy learning. For that reason, I am always impressed when the staff at a gallery is engaged and excited about teaching visitors about their exhibits. When a friend and I dropped in Evan Lurie Galleries, I was a bit intimidated. The artwork is phenomenal and the space is gorgeous. That said, I expected the staff to be stuffy and «blow us off». Esp since the one sculpture I fell in love with was…$ 17,000?! Gulp. But, they were so incredibly friendly… and helpful… so much so, that my friend found something he loved… and bought. We actually learned that the «staff» was the owner and he took great pains to chat with us… talking about each piece and the artists… we spent several very enjoyable hours.
I’ve since «googled» the gallery and found a few articles where people are debating the value of the city investing in the gallery… I would say, «money well spent».