{"id":236359,"date":"2013-08-03T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2013-08-03T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sdnews.com\/passion-with-no-prejudice\/"},"modified":"2013-08-03T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2013-08-03T07:00:00","slug":"passion-with-no-prejudice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/passion-with-no-prejudice\/","title":{"rendered":"Passion with no prejudice"},"content":{"rendered":"

Downtown art dealer thrives through philanthropy<\/p>\n

Morgan M. Hurley | Downtown Editor<\/p>\n

When local art dealer Alexander Salazar finally opened up his own business in January 2010 after nearly two decades in the industry, choosing the right name was something he put a lot of thought into.<\/p>\n

Motivated by an article that said those who go into business using their own name tend to be more committed and successful, Salazar found himself conflicted by the idea of using his given name, \u201cAlejandro,\u201d because it was hard to say.<\/p>\n

\"Gallery<\/a>
Gallery owner Alexander Salazar comfortable at home (Photo by Morgan M. Hurley)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI wanted [my business name] to be something people would remember, not struggle with,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n

Shortly after inking the deal using the American translation of \u201cAlexander,\u201d Lady Gaga released a song that would introduce \u201cAlejandro\u201d to the world, and although he admits to initially mourning a lost opportunity, he quickly took the news in stride, gleefully playing the song on repeat during the grand opening of Alexander Salazar Fine Art, located at the corner of Broadway and Seventh Avenue, Downtown.<\/p>\n

Just under four years later, the openly gay art dealer is thriving.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe one thing that runs a gallery business is art sales,\u201d he said. \u201cIn the beginning, it was really awesome. People were really excited and very supportive. Then there was an in-between lull that got me a little worried, but then there was a big \u2018wow.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

His magic recipe seems to be his marketing endeavors \u2013 opening long-term mini-exhibitions at the Hilton Bayfront and Palomar, installing \u201cpop-up\u201d galleries in neighboring businesses, and hosting lots of charity events \u2013 which have all begun to pay off.<\/p>\n

One of his most successful pop-ups has been a two-year exhibition at FIT Athletic Club on 10th Avenue. The FIT installation, like another at Downtown\u2019s Zanzibar Caf\u00e9, are offered free of charge by Salazar, and offer those who wouldn\u2019t normally have the opportunity to do so, a snapshot of the vast collection of artists he represents.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople have said, \u2018Why would you put art into a gym?\u2019 but it is a [high end] gym and executives go there,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"Salazar<\/a>
Salazar sits at home along with several giant works adorning the 40-foot high wall of his Church Lofts residence. (Photo by Morgan M. Hurley)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

These exhibits resonate with art enthusiasts, especially when they become part of their daily routine. Salazar calls them \u201cno pressure\u201d exhibits, since sales only occur if someone sees something they like and then calls or visits his gallery, but it works.<\/p>\n

Salazar was born the youngest of seven to Catholic, Mexican-American parents in Houston. He spent his undergraduate years at Colorado College before heading east to Boston College for a master\u2019s in art history.<\/p>\n

Not satisfied with just one master\u2019s, he went on to attend Harvard University for theology and sociology, and later lived abroad in London and Italy before arriving in San Diego in 2001.<\/p>\n

His unique educational journey not only helped shaped his taste and style, but also taught him important lessons for the career path he chose.<\/p>\n

\u201c[I learned] to be honest and have a conscience,\u201d Salazar said. \u201cThe art world is very malnutritioned; it\u2019s a hard business. A lot of people are jaded because they get ripped off. Some people do it for a few minutes and some do it for a lifetime. I plan to do this until I\u2019m dead.\u201d<\/p>\n

His diverse and ever-expanding line of clients eventually caused him to separate his artists under differing brands. Aside from Alexander Salazar Fine Art, he also produces and curates under the names White Box Contemporary, Salazar \u2013 Contemporary Art Exhibits, and Salazar AIR.<\/p>\n

Now in its third year, the AIR project occupies a small, 250-square-foot space just adjacent to Salazar\u2019s main gallery on Broadway [see sidebar]. There, on a three-month rotational basis, he offers struggling artisans a studio of their own and lets them loose to create their art. It is an exercise in philanthropy for the 40-year-old art entrepreneur, since none of the artists pay him a dime to use the space.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been an educator all my life, so I wanted to continue that by helping young artists. All I have to do is pay the bills and be patient,\u201d he said, adding that those who create enough inventory are also promised a solo show in his gallery. The artists he selects for AIR are by invitation only and there is no application process, but there is one requirement.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey have to be hungry,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\""The<\/a>
“The Arrangement” by Erica Ryan Stallones 36″ x 42″ Oil on canvas 2011. This work will be part of “The Forest From the Trees” exhibit this month at White Box Contemporary.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

White Box Contemporary, located at 1040 Seventh Ave., is an exhibit space Salazar describes as \u201csmart\u201d and \u201cacademic,\u201d located just steps from his main gallery. From Aug. 10 \u2013 30, Salazar will host \u201cThe Forest From the Trees,\u201d there, an exhibit curated by Chris Trueman and Joshua Dildine showcasing the \u201cintimate and extremely personal\u201d work of four figurative painters from Los Angeles, Kimberly Brooks, Anne-Elizabeth Sobieski, Kathleen Melian and Erica Ryan Stallones.<\/p>\n

Its 40-foot ceiling offers ample space on the walls to display as much art as he chooses, and his goal is to hang them floor to ceiling. Currently included are a pair of extremely large portrait photos of his adopted dogs \u2013 Lucky, a cocker spaniel-poodle mix and Mick, a schnauzer \u2013 that flank an equally large portrait of himself.<\/p>\n

A half dozen other massive paintings and sketches of his own likeness are mixed with those of other people\u2019s and adorn the expansive walls along with various other works, but it doesn\u2019t even put a dent in his 1,000 piece personal collection.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy passion is giant paintings \u2013 something about the enormity \u2013 I could fall into them,\u201d he said. \u201cI think I have a piece from every artist I\u2019ve ever represented, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

From Aug. 10 \u2013 30, Salazar will host \u201cThe Forest From the Trees,\u201d at his White Box Contemporary gallery, at 1040 Seventh Ave. Curated by Chris Trueman and Joshua Dildine, the exhibit showcases the work of four figurative painters from Los Angeles, Kimberly Brooks, Anne-Elizabeth Sobieski, Kathleen Melian and Erica Ryan Stallones.<\/p>\n

For more information about Alexander Salazar Fine Art visit his gallery at 640 Broadway, Downtown, or his website alexandersalazarfineart.com.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Downtown art dealer thrives through philanthropy Morgan M. Hurley | Downtown Editor When local art dealer Alexander Salazar finally opened up his own business in January 2010 after nearly two decades in the industry, choosing the right name was something he put a lot of thought into. Motivated by an article that said those who […]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":726,"featured_media":236360,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"Passion with no prejudice","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[11549,11600,11550],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-236359","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-entertainment","category-sdnews","category-top-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/236359","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/726"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=236359"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/236359\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/236360"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=236359"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=236359"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=236359"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}