A trunk show at an art gallery? It sounds vaguely mysterious, like a game of "what's hidden in the box?" Turns out that the term Trunk Show for the twice-yearly international art sale at Landmarks Gallery (231 N. 76th St.) has entirely practical origins. "The art is brought to us laid flat in trunks," explains gallery owner Huetta Manion. "Just getting it all here is quite a job."
This weekend's Trunk Show features over 300 oil paintings by artists from Latin America, Europe and the U.S. Among them are Peruvian painters Gladys Morante and Diana Mendoza, Italy's Antonio Iannicelli and Franco Puliti and the German impressionist Christian Jereczek. The selections are culled from the inventory of Hans Peeters, a Dutch-born New York dealer linked to painters on three continents. This summer's trunk collection includes landscapes and seascapes, abstract and figurative art, character studies and scenes of major cities. Prices range from $100 to $5,500.
Landmarks Gallery, one of Milwaukee's oldest privately owned art galleries, has been hosting Trunk Shows for over 30 years. "We see many of the same people year after year and new people, young people, including the sons and daughters of our original customers," Manion says.
Why be surprised by the returning patrons? After all, you never can tell what might be concealed in this year's batch of trunks.
The Trunk Show is held Friday, Aug. 14, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; Saturday, Aug. 15, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; and Sunday, Aug. 16, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
