In 2008, I bought my first piece of fine art in Chicago at Gallery Guichard when they were located near 35th and King Drive. I was a baby collector with only one original piece in my Bronzeville condo. The piece is a colorful abstract by Calvin Coleman. I don’t remember how much I paid for the painting but it didn’t break the bank for a young professional art lover.
Andre and Frances Guichard and Stephen Mitchell own the gallery, which has since moved from the too-small modern row house to a sprawling 7,000 sq.ft. space on East 47th Street on the first floor of Bronzeville Artists Lofts. Gallery Guichard focuses on underrepresented and mid-career artists.
Art is not intimidating at Gallery Guichard, which opened in 2005 and features work from the African Diaspora. The price points are varied and walls aren’t the only thing curated. Events and art happy hours are held inside and outside in the garden. Last summer I spent my birthday at its monthly “artini” enjoying drinks, music and art. Bronzeville is an art district, building off a renaissance from decades earlier. Nearby Blanc Gallery and the South Side Community Art Center also nurture and feature cutting-edge Black art.
When I bought my piece, my late friend Chana was visiting me from New York. She bought a painting, too, from Andre Guichard, also an artist. (Frances is as well. The couple is dubbed the Mayor and First Lady of Bronzeville.) I recall Chana marveling that a Black-owned gallery of this caliber existed in a Black neighborhood, not like New York. I welcome it when outsiders remind us how dope our city is.
Gallery Guichard, 436 E 47th St. Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, 11am–8pm; closed otherwise. (773) 791-7003. galleryguichard.com