About
A busy night at “the Art of the Nude”
Mission
Artists are emerging from atelier training with technical brilliance and fresh vision. They are capable of portraying the figure, keenly observant of the world around them and dedicated to representing it in a nuanced and powerful way. These representational realists constitute a global, grassroots resurgence in the arts. Their work, at the very best, offers meaningful narratives that speak to human values and contemporary life.
Our mission is to support them, to help bring about a flourishing art culture in our time. For us, this means a society of collectors, curators, writers, educators, art dealers, and institutions who are sophisticated connoisseurs of contemporary work.
The Figure Ground began as an upstairs gallery space in historic Pioneer Square, Seattle. We exhibited work obtained locally and from around the world, quickly becoming a locus for the community of figurative artists in Seattle. Our packed openings were filled with music, the pouring of wine, laughter, enthusiasm, and new friends.
Now, we are moving forward as an art advising and consulting service, leveraging our wide network to enable collectors and institutions to discover great artists. We are also starting new projects including books, video, and involvement with nonprofits.
Team
Brett Holverstott, Founder & Director
brett@figuregroundgallery.com
Brett is an architect, author, hobby sculptor, art dealer and curator. He seeks out fresh, gestural, painterly works that are technically brilliant and feel alive. Brett curated the first year of shows to establish the mood. More about Brett…
Jen Dale, Curator
jen@figuregroundgallery.com
Jen is an artist, art historian & writer, lecturer, curator, and nonprofit administrator. She prefers narrative works that bring story, history, humor, and intrigue, and she brings a motley crew of artist connections from the greater Portland area. More about Jen…
Guest Curators
Eric Elliot, Guest Curator
Eric is an artist, instructor at Colorado Mesa University, curator, and a widely connected artist who brought us our August-September 2022 group show “Beyond Description.”
Danny Samuels, Guest Curator
Danny is a sculptor, model-maker, digital sculptor, Director of Curriculum and Instruction for K12 programs at Digipen, and Art Director at Trans Atlantis Games. He brought us the Digipen faculty show: “Convergent Voices” in March 2023.
Cyra Jane, Guest Curator
Cyra is a painter, sculptor, and installation artist who runs a group stone carving studio in Georgetown. Cyra curated the “Construct” show in August of 2023.
Elisabeth Lawson Koehler, Guest Curator
Elisabeth is a painter, instructor and owner of ArtStudioLife.Com. She studied at the Jerusalem Studio School and the University of Washington. Elisabeth curated the “Shapes of Light” show in Dec 2022 - Jan 2023.
Contact
To reach us please send us an inquiry with the form below, or reach out via brett@figuregroundgallery.com or call 206-641-7254.