Gallerist and Collector Greg Escalante Opens New Space in Los Angeles

Detail of a portrait of Greg Escalante by Timothy Robert Smith.

Greg Escalante has been an important figure and catalyst of new contemporary art for the past twenty years. Through his work as Copro Gallery director, co-founder of Juxtapoz magazine, and avid art collector, he’s helped catapult some of the scene’s most well known artists to prominence. On Saturday night, he began a new venture with the grand opening of the Gregorio Escalante Gallery in the Chinatown area of Los Angeles. The gallery’s first exhibition showcases some of the most notable and interesting pieces in Escalante’s collection, aptly titled “The Collection.” His collection includes several works by Robert Williams, with whom Escalante co-founded Juxtapoz, The Pizz, Odd Nerdrum, Frank Kozik, Shepard Fairey, and Jeff Soto, amongst many others. Local artist Jon Swihart was also on hand to celebrate the opening of his exhibition of portraits, “The Selfie Show”. As the collection is eclectic, so is the range of themes and styles in the show, from street art, tattoo art, printmaking, comics, Kustom Kulture, to Lowbrow art. However significant his role in the Lowbrow scene, gallery-goers should not expect the Gregorio Escalante Gallery to be a “Lowbrow” gallery. Perhaps a better term for it is “Newbrow”, as Escalante has said, a new thinking in the art world.

All photos by Mik Luxon.

Artist Dave Pressler with gallery owner Greg Escalante.