Mandell's Gallery

The Mandell Gallery was a contemporary craft gallery in Los Angeles that operated from 1979-1982. The Gallery held its inaugural exhibition on November 30, 1979, displaying the work of eight artists. During an active life of two and one-half years, the Mandell Gallery primarily showed works by glass, fiber, and clay artists of international stature. Among its activities the gallery hosted exhibitions, including opening receptions, sent out invitations, arranged publicity, connected potential buyers to artists, and conducted and tracked sales of artists' work. The Mandell Gallery had a reputation for presenting quality exhibitions and maintaining good relationships with artists. The early 1980s was a significant period for many of these artists, who were beginning to command prices comparable to other established contemporary sculptors. The gallery's final exhibition closed on July 11, 1982. Some sales were made through the middle of November, but the latter exhibition was the gallery's last public event. In an interview in Fiberarts magazine, Elizabeth Mandell cited time demands and a need for larger quarters as factors that contributed to her decision to close the gallery. The gallery's library and archives were subsequently transferred to the Craft and Folk Art Museum. The gallery's director and owner, Elizabeth Mandell, was a long-time patron of the arts. Born in San Francisco in the early 1930s, a fourth-generation Californian, Mandell earned a master's degree at Harvard University and was a consultant for database systems for government and nonprofit agencies. In her work with arts groups, she served on the boards of the California Junior Symphony; the Los Angeles Ballet; California Design, an organization to support designers and craftspeople; and the Craft and Folk Art Museum. She played an active role at the Craft and Folk Art Museum and at the time of her death in June 1997 was involved in efforts concerning the disposition of the Craft and Folk Art Museum's library and archives, which would close later that year.

Biography

The Mandell Gallery was a contemporary craft gallery in Los Angeles that operated from 1979 - 1982. The Gallery held its inaugural exhibition on November 30, 1979, displaying the work of eight artists. During an active life of two and one-half years, the Mandell Gallery primarily showed works by glass, fiber, and clay artists of international stature. Among its activities the gallery hosted exhibitions, including opening receptions; sent out invitations; arranged publicity; connected potential buyers to artists; and conducted and tracked sales of artists' work. The Mandell Gallery had a reputation for presenting quality exhibitions and maintaining good relationships with artists. The early 1980s was a significant period for many of these artists, who were beginning to command prices comparable to other established contemporary sculptors. The gallery's final exhibition closed on July 11, 1982. Some sales were made through the middle of November, but the latter exhibition was the gallery's last public event. In an interview in Fiberarts magazine, Elizabeth Mandell cited time demands and a need for larger quarters as factors that contributed to her decision to close the gallery. The gallery's library and archives were subsequently transferred to the Craft and Folk Art Museum.

The gallery's director and owner, Elizabeth Mandell, was a long-time patron of the arts. Born in San Francisco in the early 1930s, a fourth-generation Californian, Mandell earned a master's degree at Harvard University and was a consultant for database systems for government and nonprofit agencies. In her work with arts groups, she served on the boards of the California Junior Symphony; the Los Angeles Ballet; California Design, an organization to support designers and craftspeople; and the Craft and Folk Art Museum. She played an active role at the Craft and Folk Art Museum and at the time of her death in June 1997 was involved in efforts concerning the disposition of the Craft and Folk Art Museum's library and archives, which would close later that year.