High-end NY art scene didn't seem right, so this Holmdel entrepreneur created his own
Written by Susan Bloom Special to the Asbury Park Press
Photos by Brian Johnston Asbury Park Press
HOLMDEL -- Growing up in Monmouth County, James Yarosh fell in love with art and the art gallery scene early on. And in 1996, after working at various art galleries since his teens, he launched James Yarosh Associates Fine Art Gallery, a Holmdel-based fine art gallery and interior design service for art collectors that prides itself on promoting inclusivity and advocating for artists and their stories.
“I always loved to draw and paint as a kid, but when I took up oil painting in high school, I realized that it was more than a hobby,” said Yarosh, 57, a Highlands resident. “I especially loved painting portraits and being able to see things beyond the surface that elicit more emotional reactions. Doing that is an intimate, authentic and loving act that triggers a beautiful exchange between the artist and the subject.”
As part of a program for young artists, Yarosh began showing his paintings at a local art gallery when he was 17 and was subsequently asked if he wanted to work there. “They saw that I was interested, and I’ve been working in galleries ever since,” said Yarosh, who went on to manage several art galleries in New Jersey and New York City for the next 12 years.
Yarosh moved to two different locations on that street before settling into his current space, a 1,000-square-foot, second-floor loft in Holmdel that he renovated 15 years ago.
“It’s designed to be an intimate and unpretentious space that’s like an artist’s home,” he said. “To me, art should be inclusive, approachable and educational and promote a process of learning and sharing the artists’ stories.
"Though as a younger person I always assumed that I’d move to New York City, I didn’t love the art scene I was seeing there and I wasn’t willing to turn myself into something I didn’t admire,” he said. By launching James Yarosh Associates Fine Art Gallery, “I decided to stay in the place I loved at the Jersey Shore, create my own rules, and find a new way of exhibiting art.”
Creating visceral connections
Open to the public on Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m. and by appointment, “we’re an artist-curated gallery with an artist’s eye and understanding of art,” Yarosh said. “I curate work that I think should be shown based on the visceral connections it creates (as opposed to art expressly shown for retail sales) and the conversations it facilitates that offer a deeper understanding of art and the human experience.
“I always try to offer the best work possible at a gallery level that’s still accessible for purchasing,” Yarosh continued of the several hundred pieces in his collection, “but it’s really about what excites me and what I think people should be seeing.”
In his most recent exhibit, for example, titled Her Story, “I’ve been showing women artists of the 20th century — specifically Miriam Beerman and Sheba Sharrow, two humanist expressionists who bore witness to their life and experience through their work but were under-recognized in a patriarchal art world.” Working with these artists’ estates, he said, “the exhibit featured about 20 large-scale canvas pieces and 50 to 100 unframed and smaller works and offered fascinating views into their lifetime body of work.”
When not running one or two exhibits a year, “I fill the gallery with what I like and what has synergy and I try to offer something for everyone,” Yarosh said of the pieces in his collection, which encompasses an international selection of original fine art that ranges in price from $2,500 to $25,000 on average. “I started out working largely with New Jersey-based artists, but today I’m open to all artists based on the quality of their work.”
In addition to running the gallery, Yarosh also provides a full suite of interior design services for art collectors and non-collectors alike.
“Interior design has become a medium for me as an artist, and I enjoy showing people how to live with and design around fine art,” said Yarosh, who debuted his interior design work publicly in Somerset County’s “Mansions in May” showhouse in 2014.
His interior design work has since been recognized in such local and international publications as Homes & Gardens, Architectural Digest, and World of Interiors
“I learned the field of interior design by working with designers and travelling to museums around the world, and these experiences have all informed my design philosophy," Yarosh said. "My sense of order and how I layer and stack art and all of the beautiful details involved helps offer clients a path to truly understanding and appreciating art and the stories behind it.”
Though many of his clients are local, “I’m a destination gallery, so I get a lot of out-of-state support and people from all over are willing to come look at my specific presentation of art,” Yarosh said. “I’ve sold paintings and/or worked on interior design projects everywhere from New York City to Florida, Paris and more.”
INTERIOR DESIGN: James Yarosh PHOTO: Patricia Burke
'Beauty and light'
Among trends in the field, “I think that people are increasingly connecting with what’s real and are open to new ways of collecting,” Yarosh said. “The spotlight is on diverse painters now and there’s a growing desire to understand and collect work that’s truly valuable beyond the monetary sense.
"Knowledge is power and the more people learn about the arts, the more they’re able to make decisions that match their intentions when it comes to collecting artwork," he said. "Since galleries are on the front line working with people, having a gallery that’s inclusive and that can expose people to art is critically important.”
As for challenges, Yarosh said that remaining focused on the creative side of the business, doing quality work, and advocating for artists is an ongoing effort. “Staying the course and being true to myself to ensure that my philosophy matches what I’m putting out there requires constant focus,” he said.
PHOTO: Patricia Burke
PHOTO: Patricia Burke