fact sheet
As a young art student, David Barnett vowed to turn his interest in art into his life's work and established his gallery in 1966 in a converted basement apartment on bustling Wisconsin Avenue. In 1968 the Gallery began showing world renowned, established masters such as Picasso, Toulouse-Lautrec, Chagall, Miro, Dali, Kandinsky and Pissarro. The profits from these masters work enabled the gallery to fund the promotion and exhibition of unknown and emerging artists throughout Wisconsin. In 1985 David's collection and business had greatly expanded and the gallery was moved into The Old Button Mansion where it still exists today.
The beautiful and historic Button Mansion is one of the last remaining masterpieces in Milwaukee that reflects the Italianate influence on Victorian architecture and utilizes unique cream city brick, which gives Milwaukee it's fond nick name, The Cream City. |
mission & Vision
Since 1966 The David Barnett Gallery has been on an upward trajectory with no signs of slowing down. Since it's establishment the Gallery has donated over one million dollars worth of artworks to a diverse selection of non-profit groups working in the arts all over the state of Wisconsin including The Contemporary Art Museum in Madison, Lawrence University in Appleton, The Haggerty Museum and Marquette University in Milwaukee, The Milwaukee Art Museum, Lakeland College in Sheboygan and the Appleton Arts Center. In 1985, the David Barnett Gallery was the first gallery in Wisconsin to start an internship program for Fine Art and Art History students. The program has assisted dozens of artists and art teachers to gain field experience.
The Gallery Team is currently at work to establish and operate a non-profit organization that will lend a helping hand to the young artists and struggling youth in inner-city Milwaukee, where arts and music programs have been underestimated and slashed for funding. David Barnett has made a career out of his passion and wishes to help others who are struggling to focus on what they love doing most. David's mission, our mission, continues to be proudly supporting the collaborative nature and transformative power of creativity, and preserving the legacies of the brilliant, artistic minds that came before us. |
Since 1975, David has personally appraised thousands of art works for museums, individuals and corporations across the country. Roughly 2,000 appraisers world wide are certified at David's level. The gallery currently possesses an international inventory of tens of thousands of images that span centuries of history, and boasts the largest collection in Wisconsin that represents more than 600 artists.