 To set foot in Lowy’s elegant atelier on the Upper
East Side of New York is to travel back in time<
through a colorful 100-year history that has established
Lowy as America’s preeminent framing and art
restoration company. Skilled carvers, gilders and
restorers work here today with the same passion and
dedication as their forbears, a familiar sight immortalized
in a vibrant 1989 painting by the late
Lithuanian-born, School of Paris artist Arbit Blatas,
who was a frequent customer and friend. Lowy’s
history of uncompromising standards still lingers in
stacks of glittering gold frames, the purposeful tap of
a chisel and the scent of resin varnish. Artisans
inpainting a towering Revolutionary War portrait of
George Washington or designing a massive frame for
an Albert Bierstadt masterpiece recall similar scenes
from Lowy’s past, whether it was master carver
Mario Tormo working his magic on a serpentine
frame or Lowy’s former president Hilly Shar and
conservator Al Angelico restoring Maxfield Parish’s
famous Old King Cole mural, which hung and still
hangs in New York’s St. Regis Hotel. |
This year, Lowy celebrates its 100th anniversary with a not-to-be missed traveling exhibition, The Secret Lives of Frames: One Hundred Years of Art and Artistry from the Lowy Collection, featuring 100 historic antique frames in a range of styles and periods. On view at Lowy’s galleries from January 12 to April 13, the exhibition will then travel to the Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, Ohio, and the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk, Virginia. A fascinating fully illustrated book accompanies the exhibition. Both the exhibition and the book offer new insights into the centuries-old frame making tradition and how it continues to meet the needs of today’s connoisseurs, as well as practical information on the basics of framing. “As the second of three generations of Shars at Lowy I have had the distinct pleasure and advantage of learning from both what was and what is yet to come,” says Larry Shar, president of Lowy. “It is an envious position to have learned old-world techniques and philosophies from my father and to be utilizing and learning new technological and progressive techniques from my son, Brad. The amalgamation of the old world and new is what keeps us at the top of our game and the leader of our industry as we celebrate our centennial year. I look forward to many more years of dedication, growth and service to the fine art community that is so much a part of our life.” |
The centennial exhibition offers an inside look at an impeccable assemblage of antique frames ranging from a rare early 16th century Tuscan cassetta frame and an early 18th-century Spanish Baroque frame to an exquisitely carved Louis XV-style example from the mid 18th century and early 20th-century frames designed by the American architect Stanford White and the French Art Nouveau designer Hector Guimard (who also designed the Paris Metro system). Several of the frames will be exhibited with period works of art as well. The lavishly illustrated book THE SECRET LIVES OF FRAMES: One Hundred Years of Art and Artistry (Filipacchi Publishing, $50.00) by Deborah Davis takes readers on a guided tour of Lowy’s 100 greatest frames, shedding new understanding on this sometime “Cinderella” of the art world. Not only an essential primer on the various periods and styles of the framer’s art, this comprehensive survey also includes sections on the frame making process, art conservation and restoration, and how to identify antique and reproduction frames, all interwoven with Lowy’s lively history. Larry’s mother, Rose, who celebrated her 90th birthday last year, is one of the firm’s greatest treasures. She fondly recalls Lowy’s early days: “The art world was a small fraternity with interesting (continued on page 2)
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