Opening reception: April 3 2014, 6 - 9 pm

Gallery Hours commencing April 4: Wednesday - Saturday Noon - 6 pm, or by appointemnt.

Stephen Romano is pleased to announce THE INAUGURATION OF A NEWLY FORMED EXHIBITION SPACE in the heart of one of the world's most vibrant cultural communities DUMBO BROOKLYN, featuring international and emerging CONTEMPORARY artists alongside HISTORICAL, VISIONARY AND SELF TAUGHT masters.

Stephen Romano has been a private art dealer for the past 10 years, and was manager of the Ricco Maresca Gallery in New York from 1996 - 2003. Romano has most notably also worked for the former 49th Parallel Gallery in NYC and the Walter Moos Gallery in Toronto. As a private art dealer, Romano's focus has been on emerging contemporary artists as well as self taught and visionary artists with particular emphasis on CHARLES DELLSCHAU, HENRY DARGER, MARTIN RAMIREZ, ADOLPH WOLFLI and Brazilian Visionary DARCILIO LIMA. Stephen Romano also is a principal collector and dealer in the works of America's "Father of Pictorialism" WILLIAM MORTENSEN.

In 2013, Stephen Romano produced a seminal 330 page monograph on Texas Visionary artist CHARLES DELLSCHAU - designed by Marquand Books and distributed by DAP. The book generated several positive reviews by a wide variety of publications such as BOOKFORUM, RAW VISION MAGAZINE, THE ATLANTIC, SLATE, Antiques and the arts, FOLK ART MESSENGER, DESIGN OBSERVER, among many others. With an introduction by Stephen Romano, the book featured the final published essay by renowned art writer THOMAS McEVILLEY, as well as contributions from MUSEUM OF EVERYTHING founder JAMES BRETT, Smithsonian museum of aero space curator TOM CROUCH, and art writers ROGER CARDINAL and BARBARA SAFAROVA. 2013 also saw the publication by Romano of the first ever post mortem retrospective catalogue of works by Darcilio Lima and most recently a catalogue of a previously unknown photographic series from 1925 by William Mortensen "A PICTORIAL COMPENDIUM OF WITCHCRAFT" with written works by A.D. COLEMAN, LARRY LYTLE and TOM PATTERSON.

A former exhibitor at The Outsider Art Fair, in 2013 Stephen Romano favored participation in THE METRO SHOW, highlighting a work by American contemporary sculptor KRIS KUKSI, and was singled out by Ken Johnson in THE NEW YORK TIMES for his display of works by DELLSCHAU. In May of the same year, Romano's participation in the PULSE ART FAIR NYC 2013, was proclaimed by Christian Viveros-Fauné in THE ART NEWSPAPER as " By far the fair’s biggest surprise arrives courtesy of the private Brooklyn dealer Stephen Romano, whose stand not only contains a large, two-sided Henry Darger drawing—it also hosts six double-sided colored pencil works by Charles A. A. Dellschau." 2014 saw the return of Stephen Romano at The Metro Show, this time featuring never before seen works by DELLSCHAU and WILLIAM MORTENSEN as well as a group of rare SPIRIT PHOTOS and works by contemporary artists COLIN CHRISTIAN, SONYA FU. JANA BRIKE, DAN BARRY, PECA, MAHWISH CHISHTY, LIMOR GASKO, RENE PIERRE ALLAIN, MASAE SHIMOICHI, RAY ROBINSON, JENNIFER LIN among many other works of historical significance.

While having curated noteworthy exhibitions since 1991, including "Geometric Strategies" at The Marlyn Pearl Gallery, "Risking Selves" and "The Dream Screen" at 148 Duane Gallery, "Visionary Dreamers" at the University of Syracuse, as well as several booths at art fairs including the OUTSIDER ART FAIR, ARTNOW, THE METRO SHOW and PULSE NYC, this will be Stephen Romano first effort at a completely autonomous exhibition program. Forthcoming exhibitions will include a survey of works by WILLIAM MORTENSEN, the first ever organized on the east coast, a survey of works by CHARLES DELLSCHAU, which will be the third ever exhibition of this artist who is now being regarded as equal in significance to HENRY DARGER and MARTIN RAMIREZ, the first ever North American exhibition of renowned Hong Kong digital artist SONYA FU, the first ever New York solo exhibition of highly acclaimed Latvian artist JANA BRIKE, the first ever North American solo exhibition of seminal Brazilian surrealist and Visionary DARCILIO LIMA, the premiere exhibition of works by enigmatic American artist A. FIORELLO, and an exhibition of VERNACULAR PHOTOGRAPHY featuring a selection of important SPIRIT PHOTOS.

Stephen Romano says . "I am fortunate to be enriched by artists who's dedication to their art is uncompromising. I'm delighted to be bringing this program of mixing cutting edge contemporary and historical Visionary and Self Taught masters to 111 Front Street. This community in the heart of DUMBO hosts a remarkable variety of engaging galleries and pop up projects, and is well worth the trip one subway stop into Brooklyn, which has been my only New York home since 1991."

The inaugural exhibition is entitled "Welcome To The Dreamtime". In the animist framework of aboriginal mythology, "Dreamtime" is a sacred era in which ancestral totemic spirit beings created the world. The exhibition is a macro cosmos of works by artists Romano has collected and championed over the past 25 years, and articulates the aesthetic and philosophies that will guide the gallery. The group of artists participating, local and international, includes:

Shonagh Adelman (Brooklyn), Rene Pierre Allain (Brooklyn), Phil Allocco (Brooklyn), Steven Baines (Brooklyn), Dan Barry (Austin, TX), Morton Bartlett (Boston), Jana Brike (Rego, Latvia), Ray Caesar (Toronto, Canada), Paul Campbell (Brooklyn), James Castle (Boise, Idaho), Judy Chappus (Windsor, Canada), Mahwish Chishty (Pakistan/Chicago), Colin Christian (Tampa, Florida), Henry Darger (Chicago), Charles Dellschau (Prussia / Houston), Matthew Dutton (Chattanooga), Lori Field (New York), Found&Lost (Toronto / UK), Sonya Fu (Hong Kong), Eldon Garnet (Toronto), Limor Gasko (Brooklyn), Dan Hillier (London), Tine Kindermann (New York), Darcilio Lima (Rio de Janeiro) Jennifer Mien Mien Lin (New York), Joel Lorand (Paris), Mia Mäkilä (Stockholm, Sweden), Tom McKinnon (Iquitos, Peru/Canada) William Mortensen (Laguna Beach, California), Matt Nolen (New York), Peca (Barcelona), Martin Ramirez (Tepatitlán, Mexico), Ray Robinson (London, LaHavre Canada), Masae Shimoichi (Tokyo), Jeff Soto (Los Angeles), Martin Wittfooth (Brooklyn), K.B. Yung (Portland).