Today we’d like to introduce you to Burt Finger.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Burt. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Collecting photography was a passion of ours. I had studied art in the 1970’s, became a photographer, and exhibited in galleries. I also taught the history of photography for a while. Missy, my wife, studied Art History while working on her business degree. At some point we thought we could possibly make a business of selling fine art photography, acting as private dealers. We continued to acquire photography, and also find artists to represent. In the early 1990’s we participated in a few art fairs in Santa Fe and Chicago and worked out of our house.
Realizing that we needed a space for artists to exhibit, it made sense to find a gallery space in Dallas. Neither of us had any experience working in a gallery, so it was a strange new world. But, we had several other businesses in the past, so running a business was not new. We opened Photographs Do Not Bend Gallery in 1995, in a small house on Routh Street. After a couple of years of struggling, we finally found success in our first Keith Carter exhibition. After eleven years in that charming frame house on Routh, we moved to a much larger space on Dragon Street, in the Design District. The gallery moved again in 2016, where we are now on Glass Street, across from the Dallas Contemporary. We are still in the Design District, which is a constantly changing neighborhood.
Alright – Tell us about your work. What should we know?
For almost twenty-five years we have promoted the medium of photography. PDNB Gallery artists are well represented in museum collections around the world. We also work with artist Estates: John Albok, Ida Lansky, Nickolas Muray, Lucienne Bloch. The gallery features solo and group exhibitions, with rotations about every twelve weeks. Each show opens with a reception, often with the artist attending.
There are special events at the gallery, sometimes artist lectures, film screenings, book signings, which supports the exhibitions.
The Dallas art world has changed immensely since our gallery opened. The Nasher Sculpture Center opened, the Dallas Contemporary built a large space in the Design District, The Dallas Museum of Art’s Contemporary Art program and collection morphed into one of the best in the world. And Dallas now has an Arts District.
Both Missy and I feel very lucky to be a part of all this growth in the visual arts. Dallas has really blossomed as a cultural center.
Contact Info:
- Address: 154 Glass Street, Ste. 104, Dallas, TX 75207
- Website: www.pdnbgallery.com
- Phone: 214-969-1852
- Email: info@pdnbgallery.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/pdnbgallery
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/pdnbgallery
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/pdnbgallery
Image Credit:
Photographs by William Greiner, Don Netzer, Julienne Schaer, and Al Satterwhite.
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