People
An Interview with June Kelly, Owner and Director of June Kelly Gallery
By Melissa Goldberg

June Kelly says in The Complete Guide to New York Art Galleries that the art she chooses for her gallery, “must show a unique vision, art with poetry and spirituality, by artists who express their own vocabulary.” This enlightening description of the art Kelly selects reflects simultaneously on the owner herself. Her unique vision, spirituality, and expressive vocabulary have garnered her tremendous respect in the art world.

June Kelly worked as a private dealer until her gallery opened in 1986 and is known for managing the career of one of the most prominent and revered artists of the twentieth century, Romare Bearden, until his death in 1988. Kelly is a member of the prestigious Art Dealer’s Association of America and represents dozens of artists in her gallery, presenting 11 solo exhibitions a year, and continually contributing to the superiority of New York City’s art community. Her showing of LeRoy Henderson’s photography titled Protest addressed the wars in Vietnam and Iraq brought tears to many viewer's eyes.

	Joyce Melander-Dayton, Untitled (#528), 2006, acrylic, cotton, wool and beads on linen, 60” x 30” An exhibition of her workwill take place in the gallery from April 20-May 19

MG: When and how did you first become involved in the art world?

JK: I organized monthly exhibitions at the company where I worked and they were very well received by my associates.

MG: Were you ever an artist yourself?

JK: No.

MG: Where and how did you cultivate your interest and education in art?

JK: I grew up in a family that was constantly involved in the arts — music, visual arts, theater and dance. (She received her college education at Hunter College, New York, NY.)

MG: Is there a specific reason you decided to become an art dealer?

JK: I love working with artists and their collectors. The art world is a fascinating milieu.

MG: If you were not working in the art world, what would your profession be?

JK: Journalism.

Carmen Cicero, Ruisdale Enigma, 2004, acrylic on canvas, 34” x 46”

MG: When did you meet Romare Bearden? How did you become his manager?

JK: 1975. Bearden asked me to help coordinate his many projects.

MG: How did your work with Romare Bearden influence the direction of your career and the art you show in your gallery?

JK: It gave me an incomparable insight into the operation of the art world at its highest level.

MG: Were you representing any other artists before you opened your gallery in SoHo in 1986?

JK: Yes, the late Toyce Anderson, Sharon Sutton and others.

MG: When did you realize you wanted to become a gallery owner?

JK: It was in the back of my mind for a long time.

Stan Brodsky, Abiquiu #10, 2004, oil on canvas, 60” x 48”

For more information visit www.junekellygallery.com

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