Ashley John 2012

2 After a banner first season in Palm Beach, Ashley John Gallery opens a second 9,000 square foot location on the busiest corner in West Palm Beach. Gallery owner Jim Alterman feels the economy is gaining strength and decided to increase his stake in the Palm Beach marketplace. Alterman commutes weekly between Pennsylvania and Palm Beach to run his (now) three galleries, (the flagship gallery being Jim’s of Lambertville, located in Lambertville, NJ) and to spend time with his six-year-old twins, Ashley and John. The PalmBeach gallery opened its doors last December, specializing in important 20th century American paintings and sculp- ture, aswell as fine estate jewelry andwatches. This season, the Ashley John franchise expands into the sprawling space on theN.E. corner of S. Dixie Hwy and Okeechobee Blvd., with the most incredibly diverse and extraordinary collection of over five hundred 17th-20th century paintings, antiques, nautical, Moderne, 18th-20th century furniture, and one-of-a-kind objets d’art ever assem- bled in one location. Truly a feast and treat for collectors of all genres, the new gallery boasts room after room chock full of unique treasures. A twenty foot long builder’smodel of the CunardWhite-Star Line’s “RMSMajestic” is one of threemuseumquality ships currently residing at the new Ashley John Gallery. A monumental pair of 19th century Italian carved Carrera marble palace dogs, a 1930 Rolls Royce child’s pedal car, an electric-powered Bugatti child’s car, a large pair of 19th century Venetian Blackamoors, and a 7 foot tall “Nipper” dog from the roof of the RCA factory in Chicago are among the countless rarities to be found once inside. Showcases are filled with art glass and porcelain, bronzes and Orientalia, pottery and silver, and the list goes on… Alterman has been an antiques and art dealer since the age of twelve, and also has a large presence in the wholesale jewelry field. “Many of the items in our new space are things I’ve collected over time and have owned for many years, many never before offered for sale.” Primarily specializing in Pennsylvania Impressionist paintings, also known as TheNewHope School, he is a pub- lished author of the 612-page tome, NewHope for American Art . “Last season I was happy to see howmuch awareness and interest our Palm Beach patrons showed in the New Hope paintings. It has been well established as a nationally collected group of artists for years, but it was still nice to see such a strong market outside of the PA/NJ/NY region for this art, which I’ve been collecting personally for nearly twenty years. The success we had last season gaveme confidence to put asidemarket-driven fears which have been looming for the past several years and affecting everyone’s decision making. I saw the availability of this great new space as the perfect opportunity to take the next step and be well positioned for what I’m confident will be a much healthier business environment moving forward.”