FREY NORRIS GALLERY ANNOUNCES ITS OFFICIAL SAN FRANCISCO OPENING

Raman Frey and Wendi Norris, co-owners of the new Frey Norris Gallery, proudly announce the official opening of their gallery to San Franciscans and art aficionados everywhere. Frey Norris Gallery shows a wide range of contemporary and widely acclaimed artists, including Harvey Dinnerstein, Phillip Dvorak, Steven Assael, Janine Stern and Kate Eric.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FREY NORRIS GALLERY
ANNOUNCES ITS OFFICIAL SAN FRANCISCO OPENING
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SHOWING SOME OF THE FINEST REPRESENTATIONAL ARTISTS IN THE WORLD
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SAN FRANCISCO, February 18, 2003 – Raman Frey and Wendi Norris, co-owners of San Franciscos newest fine art gallery, have announced that they will officially open their doors on Saturday, February 22, 2003. Frey Norris Gallerys grand opening is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. that evening, and seven of the artists represented by the gallery will be in attendance.

Strategically located on Geary Street in downtown San Francisco, directly across from the American Conservatory Theater and the Curran Theatre, Frey Norris Gallery aims to show primarily representational work by some of Americas most acclaimed artists. Said Raman Frey, After reviewing over a thousand submissions, we selected ten featured artists who produce work that demonstrates great skill and imagination. People yearn for art that is accessible, beautiful and challenging. Each of our artists provides this. Their visions catalyze that internal shift that allows us to see the world with new eyes."

Frey Norris Gallery opens its doors at a time when the economy is yet to rebound from the malaise that has gripped it over the past two years, but both Frey and Norris are convinced that this was the right move to make. Said Wendi Norris, History has proven that economic downturns provide rich ground for successful businesses. We have taken advantage of the lower costs of capital and real estate, and will apply ambitious yet sound marketing and sales plans to grow our business and readily provide for our artists."

The gallery will celebrate its grand opening with a number of its current artists present, some of whom inspire almost cult-like adoration across the country. Harvey Dinnerstein, unquestionably one of Americas most celebrated representational artists, has been a powerful voice in museums, galleries, art academies and institutions for over five decades. A meticulous painter of metaphysical themes, David Linn incorporates fundamental human yearnings into his monochromatic oil paintings on panel.

Derek James combines elements of highly refined 19th century Hudson Valley school landscape painting with contemporary urban or industrial elements, thus reinventing the role of the landscape painting as a catalyst for environmental and social awareness. A favorite among curators and academics, Janine Stern focuses on the withering remains of Americas industrial revolution, abandoned amusement parks and oddly isolated angles on machinery. Sabin Howard combines a particular American restlessness with a Roman reverence for traditional figurative sculpture and the passionate crucible of the human body.

Bringing up the rear of this impressive coterie, Steven Assael is a cult-like figure among figurative painters, and is Americas most successful artist in this field, often compared to Velasquez and Rembrandt. Local flavor is added to the group by Phillip Dvorak, San Franciscos most distinctive artist working exclusively with charcoal and pastel on paper. Dvorak presents the viewer with overwhelming organic garden-like environments populated by people, childlike fantasies and anthropomorphic abstractions. Kate Eric are two local artists who produce collaborative, colorful and inventive paintings, and have deliberately established themselves as one creative entity. They have been aggressively collected since Frey and Norris began working with them in the fall of 2002.
   
The aim of Frey Norris Gallery is simple: to establish the next generation of globally influential artists from a venue located in the San Francisco Bay Area. Frey Norris Gallery is located in downtown San Francisco at 456 Geary Street, directly opposite the American Conservatory Theater. The gallery is open Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. through 7 p.m. Frey Norris Gallery shows primarily representational work by some of Americas most acclaimed artists, and welcomes new portfolio submissions. For more information on submissions or on Frey Norris Gallery, please visit http://www.freynorris.com or call (415) 346-7812.

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For media information, to schedule an interview or to request digital images, please contact Shonali Burke at (925) 706-1838 or shonali@attbi.com.