From the perspective of artist and Behn Gallery partner, roben bellomo 

The way we buy art is confusing and in many cases, just doesn’t make sense. 

A lot of people come to us expressing one of a couple things they’ve experienced at other galleries or places that sell art. 

1. “High end” galleries are selling art at extraordinary high prices and often dictating to their buyers what is good and what is not.  Some clients express that they won’t even go in and don’t feel welcome to have an opinion regardless of their background or knowledge of art.  Much like walking into an art museum, it’s easy to feel very disconnected to what we’re seeing and being told we don’t get it feels very alienating and cold.    
2. Value art options either online or alongside home decor stores where the sole purpose of art is to match the colors or fill a space at low cost.  These options are generally also very low quality, but people who don’t want to make a large investment often choose this because they think that to buy original art or art that is meaningful either is cost prohibitive or they don’t know how to even go about it.  

These two reasons became much of the motivation behind how we decided to go about things at Behn. 

First and foremost, we believe that art is for everyone and that you don’t require an ounce of knowledge about art to have an opinion about art.  Loving art is an emotional response and only each person knows how things make them feel making them the authority on the value a piece of art brings to them.  We also think there are ways to find that emotional response.  Sometimes that just happens by seeing a piece, but rarely.  We often learn to love art by knowing some of the story of the art.  That could be knowing more about the artist and their motivation.  It could mean the story behind the subject of the art.  Perhaps the technique, the approach, the palette…etc.  There are so many ways to connect to and through art, but that often isn’t at face value and requires a little bit of learning.  No different than building a new relationship, discovering great music, etc.  We just haven’t been taught how to find art we love and we’re committed to help redefine the relationship we have with the art in our lives. 

We also believe that high quality fine art should be accessible to everyone and that prices should make sense.  We do use high quality products and mediums so artwork can get expensive, but you should know why and that there is a reason, which we explain.  Yes, of course, there is value in the artist’s creation and talent but we are humble enough to know we shouldn’t over inflate that alienate.  That said, there is also usually a way to meet most budgets with high quality, original work, but it starts with the comfort of having that candid conversation.  Will the original art you buy from us gain value and fetch small fortunes in the future…well, most artists don’t live long enough to know if they will have that impact, but what matters most and bring s the most value is the what you are getting out of that piece in your lifetime.  

We further believe that everyone can find art they love, but it may take a little exploring.  When we talk about music, this seems obvious as most everyone can answer the question about their favorite band or song.  A big part of that is because our culture works music in from the time we are born giving us experience and vocabulary to formulate preferences.  Well, with art, that’s more of a case by case basis determined often by our upbringing and experiences we have from within.  It may take a little time, but with honest conversation, visualization, guidance, and willingness, everyone can find a love for art and individual pieces that will not only match their spaces, but will enhance their daily experiences and lives.

We wanted to create a space and gallery that broke the molds of the past and started with a foundation of acceptance and connection.  If you prefer the old way, that’s fine with us, but for everyone looking for a different and new experience where they can find fine art that makes them feel things and is also customized to fit their space, we want to provide that experience and opportunity.  

How do we do this…we start by listening and asking questions about what your experience has been.  Good or bad, that’s important.  Once we know where you’re coming from, we can start to help you figure out what experience you are aiming for in whatever space you aim to furnish.  For example, when looking for a piece of art for a calming space of relaxation, the results will be different from an office space looking for energy and inspiration.  Our art can and should help set that space.  After we better know your goals, we can start pulling imagery that meets those needs.  Sometimes that imagery exists and sometimes it needs to be created.  I know that sounds crazy to many, but making artwork according to what is meaningful to you is more accessible than you realize.  More often than not, however, through careful selection of art based on knowing a person better is enough to find something that speaks to them.  

Let me give an analogy.  If you meet someone for the first time and you want to take them to dinner you wouldn’t usually show them a picture of the restaurant and ask them which one they’d like, you might ask them questions like what kind of food do you like?  Do you like spicy food?  What did you eat growing up?  The more questions we ask, the easier it is to help them decide.  Once we have some of their feedback, we can make recommendations.  If a place does not exist that matches their feedback, we can decide to settle or perhaps instead to eat in and make or “create” a meal that does match. 

So through a system of consultation, curation, and creation, we are able to guide our art buyers, help them make selections based on their needs, experiences, and expectations and then lastly create something that is exciting to them either through the uniqueness of the imagery or the way the imagery is presented.

 I'm not sure it was our intention to DEFY the art world or say our perspective was right and others was wrong, but we wanted to offer an art experience like we wanted.  Everyone deserves to and should have meaningful art in their lives.  We believe we can all live better with and through art in our lives.  We want to provide that experience to as many people as we can.