Richard Demato is obviously right at home in his new venture. His Sag Harbor art gallery opened mere weeks ago, but already on the walls of the Main Street space hang an eclectic and well considered array of paintings reflecting Demato’s taste in art — a taste which he has honed with over a quarter century of collecting.
In 2003, after long careers in the fashion industry, Demato and his wife, artist and acclaimed textile designer Harriet Sawyer, moved to the East End and built their dream home on a six acre waterfront parcel in North Haven. Though both he and Sawyer have long loved collecting art, it wasn’t until Demato had a stint “minding the shop” at the Hampton Road Gallery in Southampton that he decided to venture into the gallery business himself.
“I sat in Peter Marcel’s gallery while he was gone,” explains Demato. “I loved it. I talked to people and enjoyed hanging out there. It’s like having a private club. I said, ‘I’d like to do that.’”
But finding the ideal location in Sag Harbor proved to be a challenge. After nine months of searching, he saw a “for rent” sign in the window of the Grenning Gallery adjacent to the movie theater and jumped at the opportunity.
“It’s the perfect place,” says Demato. “People will tell you it’s not a good time to do this, but I think it is. We’re offering something different than has existed in this village.”
What the gallery is offering is work by a range of contemporary artists — some local, some not. Included on the roster are East End painters Michael Viera and Demato’s wife, Harriet Sawyer, along with Philadelphia artist Jack Gerber, Missouri based painter Jeff Aeling, Leslie Balleweg of California, and many others.
“A couple came in and said, ‘What’s your point of view?’” recalls Demato. “I say what we’ve [he and Sawyer] done in the last 25 years is my point of view. We have many sides to what we see and why we see it. We’re both very comfortable with our instincts.”
“If you do something unique, rather than guess what the consumer wants, and do what you believe in, it may not reach everyone,” he adds, “but it’ll reach the people who understand it.”
Demato is a man not only with great passions and enthusiasms, but also a great deal of energy to pursue his interests. With his new gallery, he’s now looking forward to expending that energy on his love for art.
“Harriet jokes that I’m happiest when I’m doing more rather than less,” says Demato.
Though he’s certainly in his element, this venture is about more than just having fun.
As president of the board at The Retreat, the East End’s only domestic abuse shelter, Demato understands the importance of supporting the valued resources of his community. The Retreat is a cause near and dear to his heart and Demato has gotten to know several local artists through the Artists Against Abuse fundraiser. He notes that many of the profits from his gallery will go to the organization.
“I’m doing this to be active, busy and help The Retreat,” he says.
This weekend the Richard J. Demato Fine Arts Gallery opens “A World Well Travelled” an exhibition featuring the paintings of Connecticut based artist Robert Reynolds. Largely inspired by extensive travels in Europe and beyond (Reynolds has a second home in central Turkey) his landscapes have a dreamy, ethereal and other worldly quality about them. Like most dreams, life is slightly askew in Reynolds’ colorful renditions of the world and his mind. Reynolds’ work has been seen in Manhattan, but, thanks to his connection to Demato this is the first time East End audiences will be able to see it.
“I’ve known Richard for years,” says Reynolds. “He’s liked my work for a long time. I also donated work to The Retreat. It’s a very special thing he’s doing -— I respect him so much for that.”
He has traveled far and wide, and though he has yet to paint on the East End, Reynolds has, interestingly enough, painted over it. He’s a pilot, and has been flying above the area taking photographs of local wetlands to use as inspiration for his art.
“I’m working with a series of abstract paintings of the beautiful compositions of the marshes from the air — about 600 feet off the ground.”
It’s artists like Reynolds, those with truly unique vision and insight, who most interest him.
“I’m drawn to those kinds of people — those who are more emotional and creative,” says Demato. “It gives me something I understand, but I don’t have myself. My business brain is good.”
Which is probably why he and Sawyer’s partnership has worked so well — personally and professionally — over the years. She’s the artist, he’s the businessman and together, they make an unstoppable team.
“The gallery attracts anyone who has some sort of emotional exposure to life,” add Demato. “Someone who’s seen ups and downs and enjoys the escape that the artwork we’re providing gives them.”
“We went into our own textile business when people said it was a bad time,” adds Demato. “But I think that’s the best time. This is persistence meeting opportunity.”
An opening reception for “A World Well Travelled” will be held Saturday, October 3 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Richard J. Demato Fine Arts Gallery (90 Main Street, Sag Harbor). For information, call 725-1161.
Above: Richard Demato in his new Sag Harbor Gallery
