(Northern) Western Exhibitions and WHO Modern Bring Contemporary Art and Vintage Design to Downtown Skokie
Chicago contemporary art gallery Western Exhibitions is thrilled to announce the opening of a second location, (Northern) Western Exhibitions, in Skokie, Illinois. This suburban space will expand on the Chicago location's programming with approximately five specially curated exhibitions a year featuring work by artists from the gallery's 20-year history.
(Northern) Western Exhibitions will open on November 12 with a celebration of the gallery's 16+ year relationship with Chicago-based artist Geoffrey Todd Smith. Known for his highly detailed abstractions, Smith creates complex, rule-based pieces that place him firmly within the orbit of modern American art with a wandering eye to the future.
Sweet 16: 16 Years of Geoffrey Todd Smith at Western Exhibitions opens November 12, 2022, with a free public reception from 5 to 8 pm, and runs through January 7, 2023.
(Northern) Western Exhibitions will share a renovated single-floor bow truss building on Skokie's charming downtown corridor with WHO Modern, a mid-century modern-focused vintage store established by Donald Schmaltz and collector/building owner Zach Williams. As a vintage veteran with a love for Italian furniture, Schmaltz previously owned Chicago's Circa Modern and has worked for Toomey & Co. Auctioneers and Leslie Hindman Auctioneers.
WHO Modern will feature iconic designs by Ettore Sottsass, Angelo Mangiarotti, Enzo Mari, Poul, Kjaerholm and Hans Wegner, shown alongside contemporary designers such as Cristina Cestine. Williams will add modern and outsider art to the mix including pieces by Karl Wirsum and H.C. Westermann. In addition to curating furniture and designed objects at WHO Modern, Schmaltz will also oversee day-to-day operations at (Northern) Western Exhibitions.
(Northern) Western Exhibitions and WHO Modern are located at 7933 N Lincoln Ave, Skokie, IL 60077. Both spaces will be open Wednesday through Saturday from 12-6pm and Sunday from 10am-3pm.