Located inside a historic building at 228 S. Mill Street, Aspen, a new gallery has opened that provides visitors with a once-in-a-lifetime chance to experience an up-close and personal, intimate engagement with stunning masterpieces from the French impressionist movement. Artists such as Picasso, Renoir and Matisse, as well as other contemporary fare by such artists as Andy Warhol, adorn the walls of the carefully-curated space. After attending the grand opening weekend in June, The Sopris Sun returned to interview Andrew Fields, president of M.S. Rau Antiques, who is currently overseeing the seasonal Aspen gallery. M.S. Rau has been rooted in New Orleans, Louisiana since 1912 and has grown into one of the most highly respected fine arts and antique galleries in the country.
A theme of the interview was serendipity. In his journey with M.S. Rau, Fields oversaw a transition of the gallery into what it is today: a unique hybrid fine art gallery dealing in sales of and a free, public opportunity to experience museum-quality treasures by master artists. A common refrain levied on M.S. Rau (first in New Orleans and now much closer to home) is that it’s like a museum, but better, because everything has a price tag.
The feeling of this new gem in the Valley is not one of high-pressure sales situations, or one where someone without the seven-figure pocketbook would feel unwelcome. A cornerstone of this feeling that highlights the divide between storefront for the rich and famous and carefully curated art experience is in the approach to the displays themselves. Contrary to larger museum exhibitions, M.S. Rau has done away with the plexiglass cases and bollards and allows visitors to view the very brushstrokes of these master artists.
There is very little to be written that can convey the feeling of standing toe-to-toe with a Renoir landscape and not only seeing the brush strokes, but being able to feel the enchantment of the light on the blades of grass or the rhythmic movement of the swirling skies. French artist Paul Cézanne (1839-1906) said of impressionism: “For an impressionist to paint from nature is not to paint the subject, but to realize sensations” and this is encapsulated by the experience of walking through M.S. Rau’s gallery in Aspen. There is a certain unnamable quality of seeing these works with your own eyes, freely and intimately so close to home. It is above a museum experience in that you are there, alone, in the presence of a pure mastering of the arts from over a century in the past. Words cannot describe seeing one of Degas’ paintings of ballerinas live and in-person.
In keeping with the theme of serendipity, Fields spoke of the origins of the gallery’s expansive collection of French impressionist works relaying that it was initially a risk to acquire such a piece — that risk being of the unknown, the impression of the beauty of the work and the idea that it should be shared with others. The decision to dip into impressionism proved to be a successful move for the gallery and they are now known worldwide as an authority on the genre, even producing a thoroughly-researched tome of knowledge on the period titled 19th-Century European Painting written by William Rau, the gallery’s namesake. The book is also available at the gallery and is a stunning love letter to one of the most transformative periods in art history.
Asked about the role he sees the gallery performing, Fields offered that rather than art dealers they are “temporary custodians” of these great works, focusing on preservation, restoration, research and accessibility in addition to art sales. Concerning the historical tension between business and art, from an artist’s position, he shared one of the unique situations dealers in fine arts encounter: a living, breathing engagement with history itself. As part of the gallery experience, each work is paired with a meticulously researched provenance dossier documenting its known history.
In addition to the brushstrokes and artist signatures, the reality of the second world war and the expansive amount of fine art stolen and hoarded by Hitler’s Nazi Germany means a cross reference with an international database of known stolen works must be performed. Fields shared an anecdote of a painting they had purchased having been incorrectly listed as not stolen, only to have been reported as stolen later. He relayed that such cases, where history meets reality, is a surreal experience where M.S. Rau endeavors “do the right thing, always.”
The gallery in Aspen exists partially due to Mr. Fields’ love of the community in the Roaring Fork Valley. There is a warmth to visiting where the staff are more than knowledgeable about the art on display and visitors are afforded the unique experience to see masterpieces. The seasonal pop-up gallery will be open through September.
In a world where sense and security and the future seem murkier day by day, the sunlight of an impressionist painting can be a burst of joy and a reminder of the fact that the world still holds wonders to see.