ArtSpace/ Virginia Miller Galleries

This is one art gallery where everyone is made to feel welcome. The staff person on duty tells you about the show and usually has some interesting stories about their other artists.



The gallery is the oldest one in Miami and dates back to 1974. Virginia Miller actually was a private dealer for a few years before that. Altogether, she figures she's curated and presented to the public more than 300 exhibitions. At one time, she had three locations in Greater Miami before buying this historic, 1925-era building. Playboys who attended the gala opening of the Biltmore Hotel that year bought their Stutz Bearcats from this location, which later became the ballet school of George Milenoff, a member of the royal Romanov family who fled the Russian revolution.



I went to see her selection of Latin American art, and found out that Miller has pioneered in introducing historically significant artists and art movements to this region and to the U.S. Some are shown on the gallery web site, www.virginiamiller.com. The gallery exhibits Latin American, Chinese, and American art along with works by international masters. Miller also re-sells really important works, kept in a vault outside the gallery, and commissions outdoor sculpture, such as a 60-foot tall work at Omaha, Nebraska's airport.



The best part is that just about everything you see here is unique and reflects the taste and enthusiasm of Virginia Miller, who personally selects all the art exhibited and stocked in their various storage areas. Lear's magazine called her "the undisputed doyenne of South Florida art dealers."



Miller started Coral Gables Gallery Night in 1980. Thought to be the first event of its kind in this area, it still takes place from 7 to 10 p.m. on the first Friday of every month. Sometimes there are concerts and lectures, too.



This is a great gallery for anyone who really enjoys contemporary art!

From her debut gallery in Coconut Grove in 1970s to her present eye-appealing space in Coral Gables, Virginia Miller has served up a high-quality, eclectic array of fine art from both established and rising artists. I've seen many of her gallery shows since those early days, and I've bought quite a few pieces there and have seen how Virginia deals with other clients -- inquiring about their needs, wants, likes and interests, and matching art to their tastes with helpful advice and seasoned knowledge about the art, the artist and the art market. The openings I've attended on the monthly Coral Gables Gallery Night have been friendly occasions to mingle with like-minded art lovers and view the latest gallery fare. I've seen works from the USA, Latin America, China, Russia and other exotic places -- often provocative, always interesting.