Located in downtown West Palm Beach, TW Fine Art and Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery are literal next-door neighbors in a row of spruced-up warehouse properties on Florida Avenue. The two galleries share an ivory-colored deco entryway with rounded stairs and a levitating canopy, and both enjoy reputations for topflight exhibitions. On December 20, they’ll combine forces for a shared event: the evening opening reception for a new group show at TW Fine Art alongside an ongoing exhibition at Kristin Hjellegjerde, the latter anchored by the work of Paris-based painter Rebecca Brodskis.

At TW Fine Art, gallery director Sienna Berritto tells PureHoney to expect a “twisted sense of proportion and character” from a group of artists that blend “illustrative whimsicality with high-brow, fine art.” The exhibition includes Richmond, Virginia-based artist Kevin Sabo, a recent PureHoney artist of the month known for his vibrant, offbeat paintings of drag divas and male corporate titans as poles of gender (non)conformity.

Sabo is one of three artists who will be at TW Fine Art in person for the December 20th reception, says Berritto. The other artists with works on display there will be Hampton Boyer, Mary Fleming, Rachel Hayden, Jack Kenna, Larissa Lockshin, Samuel Richardson, Josh Stover, and Bradd Young a.k.a. SALUT. “Each artist’s fine-tuned stylistic approach to illustration conveys how they translate playful imagery into thoughtful, mind-bending or even socially relevant works that connect to the web of emerging talent today,” Berritto says.

“What makes these artists exceptional is their ability to tackle weighty topics like waste sustainability and the fraught social and political climate through works that draw you in with charm, only to linger with a thought-provoking impact,” Berritto says. “The layered ideas within this collection don’t just convey who these artists are; they reflect a nuanced commentary on life in the 2020s, bridging personal expression with broader societal insight.”

Rebecca Brodskis

Next door at Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery, the centerpiece of a winter exhibition that begins on December 7 and 8 with receptions and appearances by Brodskis is the artist’s new project, Echoes of Now. James Clark, the gallery’s director, describes Echoes of Now as “an exploration of the essence of love and touch as a universal language.”

Whereas Brodskis’ portrait-like subjects usually spring from her imagination, we’re told these latest paintings are based on photographs of dancers performing earlier this year at the Bastille Design Center in Paris, in a collaboration between Brodskis and dancer Lilach Pnina Livne. “In part, they are an attempt to reconnect and commemorate that moment, which Brodskis cites as a turning point in her practice,” Clark says, “but they also transcend the performance to take on a life of their own.”

Brodskis lives and works in France and Morocco, a split existence that might resonate with admirers of another French artist: Henri Matisse. Twentieth Century avant-garde titan Matisse spent time in Morocco in 1912-1913 and illustrated his travels in several canvasses. “His bold use of color and light are techniques that Brodskis has embraced and I’m pretty sure will appeal to the West Palm Beach crowd,” Clark says.

Brodskis will be on hand to chat informally with visitors on the 7th and 8th of December, and Clark is hopeful that some of the other painters also showing at Kristin Hjellegjerde beginning that weekend — Lotte Keijzer, Anders Meisner, Carolina Mazzolari, and Ken Nwadiogbu — can also attend in person.

South Florida’s art fair season will be in full swing, with Art Basel in Miami Beach happening Dec. 6-8 and New Wave Art Wknd at multiple venues in West Palm Beach also helping to kick off December. “Last year we had a hugely successful exhibit over Art Basel weekend when we showed Nigerian artist Nengi Omuku,”says Clark. “The Norton Museum of Art even acquired one of her pieces from that exhibition.“

It’s a good, buzzy time for viewers and collectors alike to put the TW Fine Art/Kristin Hjellegjerde combine on their calendars. Clark says pairing up with TW Fine Art gives people further away “even more reasons to make the trip.”

TW Fine Art and Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery present a shared exhibition 6pm Friday, December 20 at their Florida Avenue galleries in West Palm Beach. tw-fineart.com kristinhjellegjerde.com ~ Kelli Bodle