20th Century portrait of a soldier by artist Elena Maria de Hellebranth, given to Michael Aaron Gallagher in 2020.
One of the key missions behind The Michael Aaron Gallagher Fine Art Collection is to inspire and inform the public about the art and the artists featured.
Through artist research conducted in multiple languages, to engaging artists in interviews and sharing photographs of their work in the online gallery, it is Michael’s hope to build an online resource for artists and art connoisseurs around the world with the goal of one day opening an art museum dedicated to the works in The Collection and its mission.
Works of art donated to The Michael Aaron Gallagher Fine Art Collection over the years, include beautiful photographs by Langdon Clay and Russell Levin, framed prints by various artists, watercolor paintings and oil paintings. Special thanks to those who have gifted works of art to this project.
The following is a selection of works donated to The Collection:
Paintings
One of the notable pieces given to The Collection is the 20th Century portrait of a soldier by Hungarian artist and illustrator Elena Maria de Hellebranth (1899-1988). When the oil painting failed to sell at auction, Avra Art Gallery gifted the unframed work to Michael Aaron Gallagher.
Trained at the Academy of Fine Art in Budapest, Hungary and a fellow of the Royal Society of Art in London, England, Elena’s work was exhibited at some of the finest museums in the world. Her work was also on display at the Hungarian Pavillion in Flushing Meadows- Corona Park at the 1939 New York World’s Fair. In 1965, she received the Arpad Academy of Arts and Science‘s gold medal. One of her close friends was Irene Rice Pereira, a notable abstract artist who was instrumental in the development of the American modernism movement.
After being asked to help clean a property for a client, the person liquidating the estate offered the choice of some of the items being sold or discarded. Michael chose to save the beautiful print of a silkscreen piece called “Allegro Monoprint,” which was signed by the artist Jeanette Robertson. It was one of the earliest works of art acquired for The Collection. The artist now only works in watercolor and pencil. You can purchase her art through her Etsy page at https://www.etsy.com/shop/CottageArtStudio.
This still life of a women’s high-healed shoe was inspired by Vogue magazine and commissioned by Michael, who was given the acrylic on canvas painting by a family friend.
“Allegro Monoprint” signed by Jeanette Robertson donated to The Michael Aaron Gallagher Fine Art Collection.
Painting of a shoe by artist Kristin S. (2005).
“Bhikkhus,” a watercolor painting donated to The Michael Aaron Gallagher Fine Art Collection.
Watercolor painting of Buddhist monks donated to The Michael Aaron Gallagher Fine Art Collection.
This faded antique photograph of a Victorian era girl in Upstate New York was donated to the collection by an antique shop owner. Michael hopes to one day digitally enhance the photograph to restore the picture and bring the girl back to life before the physical copy fades away and her image is lost forever.
Photography:
Some of Michael’s favorite photographs in The Collection were gifts. When Michael purchased a selection of old photographs from an antique shop, one picture he selected, of a girl, dressed in Victorian era clothing, standing in a field was so badly faded that the owner gave Michael the photo for free. He hopes to one day have it professionally restored, but in the mean time, he scanned and digitally adjusted the image to bring the picture back to life and preserve it.
Another exceptional photograph that was donated to the collection was a picture of a ship on the St. Lawrence Seaway, taken in the fog. The photographer told the story about knowing that the ship was in the fog, but not seeing it through the viewfinder, he decided to snap the picture anyway. When he got home and looked at the photos he had taken, the ship was emerging from the fog in this fantastic image.
One of several photographs, including polaroids, contact prints and limited edition works donated to The Collection by photographer Russell Levin, “Elizabeth in Studio” (2002) is a prime example of his talent for making a timeless picture that could have been taken in any century, perhaps a scandalous photo from the early days of film in the 1800s, or maybe a rebellious model in the 1960s or ’70s, or in actuality from as recently as this century. The print was donated to The Michael Aaron Gallagher Fine Art Collection in 2021. In 2024, Levin also donated a limited edition platinum print produced in his studio in 2019. As one of the artists with the most number of works represented in the collection, this piece is an outstanding addition that showcases the diverse and beautiful images he has created throughout his extensive photography career. For information about the Russell Levin Gallery and photography, click here.
This gorgeous limited edition platinum photograph from 2019 was generously donated to the collection by photographer Russell Levin in 2024.
“Ship in the Fog,” by a ship watcher named Tom. This 5″ x 7″ photograph was kindly donated to the collection in 2024.
“Elizabeth in Studio” (2002) photograph by Russell Levin. Donated to The Michael Aaron Gallagher Fine Art Collection in 2021.
Langdon Clay black and white 8″ x 10″ Press photograph of “Laundromat.” To read the story about how the color version of this photograph was donated to the collection, visit the page about Langdon Clay’s photography in the Art Collector tab in the menu above.
To view more original works of art in The Michael Aaron Gallagher Fine Art Collection, click here. Special thanks to the individuals who have donated works of art to the collection!