NEW YORK—“Let me tell you, there were four paintings that arrived at 12 o’clock noon on Friday the 12th—on the day of the opening!” said Stephen Bauman, the artist who curated “12x12, A Portrait Exhibition” at the gallery of The Florence Academy of Art’s U.S. branch. In the spirit of stretching the parameters of realist art shows, Bauman, it seems, had invited almost every living realist artist he admires to submit a painting for the exhibition.
“I was horrified by the possibility that it was going to look like a thrift shop,” Bauman joked. That fear dissolved after a very successful opening. The gallery was jam-packed with people looking at the 65 portraits on display. Some paintings sold online before the opening, and others on the spot.
