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Palisades Gallery/Home Highlights Art of American Social Movements

Nestled in the hills of Pacific Palisades is a hidden treasure of social realist, Hispanic and African American art.

Operating out of the Pacific Palisades home of its owner Charlotte Sherman, the Heritage Gallery contains a unique variety of artwork depicting the social realism movement in America.

“Our focus is on the art of the 1930s through the 1960s with an emphasis on American social realism and Hispanic and African American artists,” said Sherman, 86. “We were active in the civil rights movement so you’ll see a lot of African American art here.”

Originally opening in 1961 on La Cienega Boulevard, Heritage Gallery is the oldest functioning gallery in Los Angeles to her knowledge, Sherman said. She started the gallery with another art lover and social activist, Benjamin Horowitz.

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“Since I was an art history major, I came in with a historical background of art and I partnered with Benjamin to start this gallery,” Sherman said. “We were both interested in the social elements like civil rights and women’s rights.”

Horowitz left the gallery in 2000 and that's when Sherman moved it to the Pacific Palisades home she has shared with her husband since 1963. She said she misses her longtime partner but enjoys working from home where she can take care of her husband, Lorry, who is retired, and appreciates the beautiful ocean view while surrounded by fascinating pieces of art. Sherman even starts off each morning with a hike through the hills by her home.

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“It’s so great to be working here,” she said. “We love it here. We cherish it.”

Sherman has spent the last 50 years helping artists, including minorities, get the recognition they deserve. She started out as a painter herself and quickly discovered the prejudices that extended even into the artistic community.

“As a woman artist in the 1940s and 1950s, I never signed my name to my work—only my initials—because women weren’t really accepted into the mainstream art movement,” Sherman said. “That’s why I opened the gallery. I wanted to help other artists like myself who were not being accepted in the artistic community.”

Over the years, Sherman has curated more than 30 shows, mostly for African American and Hispanic artists. It hasn’t always been easy finding museums to host shows for these artists, she said.

“I represented the estate of Mexican artist Jose Clemente Orozco, and 20 years ago museums just weren’t interested,” Sherman said. “I told one curator that in a few years, half the population of California would be Hispanic but he just walked away. He wanted nothing to do with it.”

Fortunately, today there is a lot of interest in Mexican art including many people who collect it, Sherman said. One of the main purposes of the gallery is to educate the public about social injustices.

“I use all of these shows to get these wonderful works of art out to the public,” Sherman said. “I want people to learn about the humanity of mankind and the need to recognize each race of people.”

Sherman currently has three exhibits touring the country: The Arthur Primas Collection, The Art of James C. McMillan and African American Atelier. Sherman spends most of her time arranging exhibits for the artists and collectors she works with but the Heritage Gallery is open to the public by appointment.

For information, call (310) 230-6750 or visit heritagegallery.com.

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