Jean Albano Gallery
Jean Albano Gallery is like a pair of hot pink cowboy boots: a timeless look with a quirky edge.
Jean Albano herself founded the gallery in 1986, beginning as a conduit between California artists and a new, Midwestern audience. Albano started as a collector, building her gallery roster around her own tastes. Her gallery evolved with her, moving its focus from West Coasters to local, Chicago artists. Albano likes art that is “good for what it is,” prioritizing visual enjoyment in her search for new work. This ethic is evident to gallery visitors, seasoned and unseasoned alike. Fun art abounds in Jean Albano Gallery.
It’s not like other galleries
You can always expect the unexpected at Jean Albano Gallery. She likes artists that grab your attention – and she sure knows how to pick them.
During my visit I saw objects ranging from doll-sized paper-mache dresses by Donna Rosenthal, to imaginative celestial paintings by Michiko Itatani, to an interactive work from Margaret Wharton made of compasses that follow the path of a magnet held by the viewer. There aren’t many galleries where you get to touch the art!*
Albano describes the feeling art evokes as “like when you buy a new sweater.” She believes art should enhance your life, and if you’re investing in an artwork, it should be because you really like it. The only thing you have to know to visit Jean Albano Gallery is that you like looking at art — and even if you’re not sure that you do, you’re welcome to come visit and figure it out.
*Do not try touching the art at Jean Albano gallery. This was an exception to the rule. 
Lee Grantham, She Came From Planet Claire
Image courtesy of Jean Albano Gallery
About the art/ists
Jean Albano Gallery works in non-representational imagery*, primarily from Chicago artists. Their work is fun, quirky, and innovative.
Margaret Wharton’s work is made from everyday materials — chairs, clothespins, the sole of a shoe — but her artistic twist morphs them into fantastical, and unusable, objects. Like a baseball bat carved into a giant wooden paper clip, or a collage of compasses manipulated by a magnet, rendering them useless.
Gladys Nillson’s watercolors sport colorful caricatures in whimsical settings. She is one of the Chicago Imagists of The Hairy Who — a group of artists from the 1960s who embraced humor, irreverence, and bold imagery responding to the sociopolitical stimuli that defined the ‘60s, from the Vietnam War to women’s rights movements. Her work is fun AND historically significant, embodying the spirit of the gallery.
Lee Grantham is a 70-year-old painter with a youthful kick, using wild colors and cartoon-like imagery painted in reverse on plexiglass (think details first, background last) to poke fun at pop culture.
Jean Albano built her business on impeccable taste, so it’s no surprise that these artists, unified by their quirky, bold work, are some of the most unique and visually exciting in the city.
Margaret Wharton, Bipolar (above)
Gladys Nilsson, Untitled (left)
Images courtesy of Jean Albano Gallery
*What is non-representational imagery?
Representational work is artwork that depicts something that exists -– something taken from real life and translated as a two or three-dimensional piece. Representational imagery is realistic, to a degree — the work doesn’t have to be hyperrealistic, but it does have to be recognizable. The stick figure you drew of your mom is representational, because even a basic drawing can represent your mom in a way that is recognizable enough to not be considered abstract.
Non-representational imagery is the opposite -– depicting subjects that are intangible, or unidentifiable. Shapes and colors, forms unrelated to figures or objects, scenes that don’t take place within a defined space, basically whatever manifestation of a higher power you dreamed up on your last magic mushroom trip. It sounds a lot like abstraction, I know, but abstraction can still include forms like figures or other recognizable symbols. Confusing, right?
Inside the walls
Jean Albano Gallery is part of a cohort of Streeterville galleries that line West Superior Street. You can’t miss it, with a street-level display window giving a sneak peek into the current show. Follow the art breadcrumbs through the door, and you’ll find two main galleries — each packed with the freshest works from Chicago’s funkiest artists.
Usually, two shows occur at once, one in each gallery. The front gallery generally hosts a rotating show from a solo artist, while the back gallery gets crazy with a group show. Call it an exhibition mullet! At Jean Albano Gallery, no wall space goes to waste, with artwork filling the hallway between the galleries as well. Would that be an exhibition sideburn? This metaphor is getting out of hand.
Jean Albano Gallery hosts new shows every other month, so you can keep coming back for more.
Previous exhibition: Shared Thoughts and Conversations About CHOICE
Art Based Research and Data Visualization by Ellen Sandor & art(n) and M. Sylvia Weintraub, Ph.D.
Image courtesy of Jean Albano Gallery
Visit Jean Albano Gallery
215 W Superior St, Chicago, IL 60654
Hours
Wednesday-Saturday
11 am–4 pm
How to get there:
Train
Take the Brown Line to Chicago. It’s about a one-minute walk from the train stop.
or
Take the Red Line to Chicago for a slightly longer, 10-minute walk.