West Chester Beckons Artists, Art Lovers
arts, culture, gallery, howard pyle,
West Chester has always inspired artists. The famed illustrator and teacher Howard Pyle brought students to the area to paint in the early 1900s. His most prized student‚ N.C. Wyeth (father of renowned American realist Andrew Wyeth)‚ also lived and worked here.
Self-taught African-American painter Horace Pippin is another artistic native son‚ creating his masterpieces here after returning from World War I. Harry Dunn‚ the illustrator who helped design the NBC peacock logo‚ also chose to live and paint in West Chester until his death a few years ago.
Today‚ West Chester is still an inspiration to artists and art lovers alike. “The area is so rich in art history‚” says Patricia Bazan. “That’s one of the reasons we decided to open a gallery here.”
Bazan and her husband‚ both attorneys and longtime art collectors‚ opened the Garrubbo Bazan Gallery two years ago. Bazan now runs the gallery full time‚ while her husband continues to practice law.
“We feature contemporary art from around the world‚ including works by European‚ Latin American‚ Australian‚ Asian and American artists‚” she says. The gallery also hosts an exhibition of floral paintings by various artists each spring that coincides with the Philadelphia Flower Show.
One of the oldest galleries is Sunset Hill Jewelers and Fine Art‚ a fixture in the West Chester art scene since opening 20 years ago.
“We carry mainly Chester County artists; including Harry Dunn‚” says Sandy Riper.
The gallery sells the works of artists besides Dunn; Riper credits the late artist with suggesting the jewelry store add art space.
“Harry was a dear friend of our family and a jewelry customer‚” Riper says. “He suggested that we turn the second floor into an art gallery for area artists.” Today‚ the shop honors the artist’s achievements in its Harry Dunn Gallery‚ a space devoted exclusively to Dunn’s work‚ on the third floor.
Although 17th-century Dutch masters like Rembrandt and Vermeer are world famous‚ today’s Dutch painters are less familiar. Holland Art House‚ one of West Chester’s newest galleries‚ is helping raise the profile of contemporary Dutch artists.
“West Chester is so well-known for N.C. Wyeth and other traditional artists‚ but I want to help educate people about other kinds of art and artists‚” says Ben Gall‚ gallery owner.
To make art education easier‚ Holland Art features a café area where patrons can sip a complimentary cup of coffee or tea and browse through art books and videos before studying works by 8 modern Dutch artists.
While each gallery is independently owned and has its own unique character‚ they often work together to promote the local art scene and support downtown development. Every June and October‚ for example‚ the city’s art galleries join forces with the Chamber of Commerce to present Gallery Walks. During these popular events‚ art patrons stroll from gallery to gallery‚ eyeing the art exhibits and enjoying complimentary refreshments.
“We want to encourage people to walk around and see the choices‚” says Gall. “After all‚ in West Chester‚ every gallery is different.”
Story by Angela Wibking
Photo by Stephen Cherry
