Business
BY KATLYNN FOX
There are an estimated 13,000 original works in Neumann’s archives.
Hanging in the gallery is a 1965 watercolor on paper, labeled “Vera Paints Poppies,” selling for $2,900.
PHOTOS BY KATLYNN FOX COMMUNITY IMPACT
The Vera Gallery uplifts female artists in Georgetown
The Vera Gallery opened in Georgetown to showcase American artist Vera Neumann’s archives, as well as local artists’ work. Georgetown residents Christina and Greg Sharp opened the gallery at the beginning of summer on the square. Together, they serve as the business’s owners, but prefer to be known as caretakers of Neumann’s work and legacy. “We’re not selling anything here,” Greg Sharp said. “We’re educating folks. So if somebody comes in and we get two minutes of their time and we educate them on who Vera is and was, and what her goals were, and what this gallery is about, and they buy nothing, [I’m] happy.” The features Neumann was born in 1907 and was a watercolor and gouache artist in New York. She was known for her oral designs and patterns, which appeared on bed linens, towels, scarves and other high-end textiles in homes across the country. The gallery shows some of Neumann’s esti- mated 13,000 original paintings, serigraph silk screen prints, sketches and 20,000 vintage silk scarf samples. The owners also did a limited silk scarf release with the 12 most-popular designs from Neumann’s work. The designs were voted on by her fans and feature popular prints like “Springtime in Central Park,” which is a bestseller for the store.
“I love seeing women walk in with a vintage scarf on their belt or on their purse,” Greg Sharp said. The new space also has art for sale from Central Texas artists. Greg Sharp said the gallery aims to uplift female artists, giving them a place to promote
Greg Sharp serves as the president and brand manager of Vera Neumann, Inc, and co-owns the gallery.
their artwork. A family a air
Greg Sharp’s history with Neumann’s work runs deep. It was his mother, Susan Seid, who purchased The Vera Company in 2005, with him as a silent investor. Seid went to the Fashion Institute of Technology and worked in the fashion industry before she purchased all physical assets, copyrights and trademarks to Neumann’s art. “My mother did a lot of contributing to preserving the essence of what was Vera,” Greg Sharp said. Going forward Greg Sharp said he’s focused on preserving and digitizing Neumann’s art for future usage. For the last two years, family and sta have photographed all of her work, color corrected and perfected the images to create les for designers to access. With thousands of artwork left to photo- graph, Greg Sharp said he anticipates needing three more years to create a full database with enhanced search features. “We want to make sure that we’re doing right by Vera in that in 2350 somebody can go into an archive,” Greg Sharp said.
The gallery also has local artists on display, including Holly Glenn, Kanae Fukuhara and Sonia Colonna Mathis.
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110 W. Eighth St., Georgetown www.veraneumann.com
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