When we read Alissa Quart’s poignant New York Times essay, “My Mother, the Artist, Discovered at 90,”it meant a lot to us. Quart writes about her mother, Barbara, a retired literature professor who quietly painted for decades.
After a cancer diagnosis, Alissa took on the mission of placing her mother’s artwork in people’s homes—friends, neighbors, strangers—anyone who would appreciate the joyful colors and whimsical compositions in her mother’s art. “A painting is the promise that our consciousness can persist beyond the hand that picked up the brush,” she writes. That sentence encapsulates the very spirit of The Legacy.
At Gallery Particulier, we work on the premise that art doesn’t belong only in museums or behind red ropes—it belongs in living rooms, bedrooms, hallways. It belongs in people’s lives. Visual arts are present in every single culture in the world since the beginning of history.
That’s why we created The Legacy, a program that allows individuals to donate or loan artwork—often by a loved one, a friend, or from their own collection—so that the art can be hosted in someone’s home. No strings attached. Just real artwork, lived with, appreciated, and shared.
The idea is simple: people in our community sign up to host an artwork. Donors or lenders share work they don’t want hidden away. The result is a powerful connection between an artist and someone who may never have entered a gallery, but whose life can be enriched through living with art.
We welcome donations or loans of artwork from artists, collectors, or those who’ve inherited the work of loved ones. Each piece is placed in a home and featured on our website, along with an artist bio and, if the donor wishes, a note about who shared it. We also provide tax documentation for donated works as these can be deducted.
There are thousands of artists whose paintings, prints, and drawings have limited exposure.
Through The Legacy, their work can still be seen—by someone sipping coffee in their room, by a child passing by on their way to school (art has been proven to improve children’s success at school), by anyone who’s never had art on their walls before.
Through our program, donors and lenders offer artwork by loved ones or their own collections to be hosted by members of the community. These artworks don’t hang in sterile storage—they live in homes, becoming part of someone’s daily experience. We’ve seen firsthand how this is meaningful to people and increases their sense of pride in their home. It’s a gift to the host, and it’s a quiet, ongoing celebration of the artist’s life and work.
Whether you’re an artist considering what might become of your paintings, or the child of one hoping to honor their vision, The Legacy offers a path.
To take part in The Legacy, reach out to us at contact@galleryparticulier.org. Let the art you love live on—not in a box, but in the world.
Thanks to Sharan Sklar for bringing the article to our attention.
