“The current exhibition is superb. It has a clean, tasteful mounting. It is the kind of exhibition that a visitor to New York would feel fortunate to chance upon. Even there, one would expect to see such a collection only in one of the best-established galleries. Yet in Louisville, a part of the growing Main Street renaissance, is a gallery with an exhibition that would be a special magnet on New York’s 57th Street - or in any museum in the country. … A toast to Martha White and long life to the gallery.”
Sotheby’s is honored to present a selection of artworks from the estate of Martha White (1932-2023), the pioneering art dealer who simultaneously showcased New York artists and local talent at her eponymous gallery in Louisville, Kentucky. Previously the co-owner and director of Allen House Galleries from 1977-78, White sought to expand her presence and reach by opening her own space in 1980. By design, Martha White Gallery was a prominent fixture of the Louisville art scene; she stated, “I wanted to be on Main Street. I think this is where things are going to happen.”
Distinguished by her discerning eye and boundless passion for contemporary art, White introduced a diverse roster of nationally recognized artists to the local market including Helen Frankenthaler, Kenneth Noland, Tom Wesselmann, Friedel Dzubas, and Jules Olitski: “I plan to bring a lot of different things to Louisville. Everybody says, ‘I know what I like.’ I think it’s that they like what they know.”
White’s critically acclaimed exhibitions stemmed from her sophisticated and wide-ranging taste; from Color Field to Pop Art and Minimalism, she aimed to show only the best examples by leading artists of her time. Her contributions to the country’s contemporary art scene were widely appreciated by her peers and even landed her in the New Yorker’s “Who’s Who on 5th Avenue.”
Sotheby’s is pleased to include nine works from White’s personal collection as a highlight of the March Contemporary Discoveries auction with forthcoming works to be offered in the July installment of the sale series.
