Tricia Swenson/tswenson@vaildaily.com
If you would have asked Rob Chandler a year ago if he’d ever open an art gallery in Vail, this is what his response would have been:
“Not a chance.”
The commercial real estate developer who splits his time between Houston, Texas and Avon, had no plans to get into a completely different line of work, but the art aficionado sort of fell into this new venture. About a year ago, Chandler was in communications with a couple of artists about their work and certain pieces that he was interested in.
“A unique opportunity presented itself to me last year when I was researching an artist named Amani Lewis and I got in touch directly with him and over a three-month period, we probably did a phone call once a week,” Chandler said. “He introduced me to another artist, Allison Zuckerman, and I ended up getting art from them, but in the process, they told me that they have gallery representation on the East Coast, West Coast and in Europe, but didn’t have any gallery representation in Texas. They said to me ‘we think you’d be really good at owning a gallery and if you decide to do it, we’ll let you represent us.’”
Those discussions got the wheels turning for Chandler Art Gallery in Houston, but Chandler was also encouraged to open up a gallery in Vail.
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“I’m good friends with Kyle Webb, who is an architect here in town. Kyle is an art enthusiast and was very familiar with the artists that we represent in Houston,” Chandler said. “He’s the one that suggested that I bring the art up here because it was very different than what some of the other galleries here offer. So, that’s how we wound up here.”
Chandler was able to open a pop-up gallery in a prime location in the Solaris next to Matsuhisa. The space has been home to other galleries in the past, so the layout was ready for art to be hung on the walls immediately. Chandler carries contemporary art, representing artists from both coasts and from Europe.
“First of all, we pick what we like, but we also try and pick pieces that we feel are approachable for a lot of people. It’s important for us to have art that resonates with more people. We want art to be very approachable. Art should be fun,” Chandler said. “I worked closely with Kyle on curating pieces that we thought would be a good fit for Vail and would be different from what you might find in the other galleries around here.”
From abstracts from Ed Nash and pop art from David Morico to the 3-D pieces created by Joel Amit to the hand forged metal sculptures of Jarred Bishop – you won’t believe how Bishop created his “Dress Series – Angelica” out of an old oil barrel – it’s worth a stop to check out the art and have a conversation with Chandler.
“For me, it’s more about listening and asking questions than it is talking,” Chandler said. “I like to observe and when you see someone go back to a painting for the second time, then there’s something about that piece of artwork that is starting to connect with them and that’s when I start to ask a few questions.”
Chandler certainly didn’t see himself owning an art gallery in two different states and isn’t an artist himself.
“If we had to draw stick figures, I would struggle and you would laugh at what I produced,” Chandler said. But despite his lack of artistic talents, he is a true art lover.
“My wife and I just love art. Our daughter actually goes to Savannah College of Art and Design. So, it just seemed to be a really easy, natural fit for me to eventually get into this business and we want to share art with others.”