Michael Paul Montanaro photographed in George
Vranesh's studio by Vranesh 2008
Montanaro Gallery is located in the historic
section of Newport, Rhode Island. Montanaro Gallery specializes in
placing original works of art in both private and public collections.
Since opening it's doors in early 2006, Montanaro Gallery has been
instrumental in bringing a much needed contemporary and modern art
scene to a place historically rooted in traditional landscapes and
nautical themes.
In striving to keep each show innovative, Michael Paul Montanaro,
an artist himself, has played an important role in spotting emerging
talents. Michael's deep rooted understanding of previous art movements,
up to date knowledge of current trends, and his creative insight have
all shaped the direction of Montanaro Gallery. Michael and his wife,
Elizabeth, have brought previously underexposed art movements to their
Newport gallery including street and urban art, outsider and low brow,
surf and skate culture, asian influenced artworks, abstract, contemporary
works, and continue to host numerous modern exhibitions.
Our gallery has introduced many emerging talents to New England for
the first time, including the 'jazzstract' works of Harold Smith;
the primitive/shamanistic paintings of Jesse Reno; the colorful and
edgy works of Mikey Welsh, who previously played bass for the rock
group Weezer; Street artist Andrew Jacob; and the surf culture art
of Andy Davis, Julie Goldstein and John Severson, just to name a few.
Michael and Elizabeth Montanaro have become art consultants to collectors
and estates, as well as art agents to their artists.
Montanaro Gallery changes shows on a monthly basis. While most of
our exhibits feature the art of one or two artists at a time, we do
host a few group exhibitions each year. Previous important exhibitions
include two major solo retrospectives 'Essential Landscapes' and 'Alaskan
Horizons Revisited' featuring New York/Newport modernist painter George
Vranesh. Many works included in these shows had not been viewed in
over fifty years; 'Masters of Surf Art' featuring Wade Koniakowsky
with Surfer Magazine founder, John Severson; 'Tribal Masks and Jazzstracts'
featuring the then unknown artist, Harold Smith; 'Beach Street' with
works by legendary graffiti writer John 'Crash One' Matos; 'Modern
Works on Paper' with works by Raoul Dufy, Seong Moy, Alexander Calder,
Maurice de Vlaminck and more.
Montanaro Gallery hosts insightful and innovative exhibitions monthly
and continues to place important works of art into the hands of collectors.
