Richard J. Demato: Collector Profile

Richard J. Demato: Collector Profile

RICHARD J. DEMATO thinks back to his youth and observes, “Art was the only subject I got straight A’s in.” Today he is still scoring high in the art world, though it took many twists and turns to bring him to this point. Born in Brooklyn, he was raised on Long Island and then in Southern California. At UC Irvine, he double-majored in art and biology, ultimately entering a Ph.D. program in molecular biology and biochemistry. Alas, that arena did not fulfill his desire for creativity, so Demato entered the apparel industry; within four years, he was running his own women’s sportswear firm. While working for a European textile mill, he relocated from Los Angeles to New York City, a perch that allowed him to travel abroad and exercise his aesthetic eye in the world’s great museums.

After 24 years in fashion, Demato found a new calling creating awareness and funding for nonprofit organizations by helping them sell art, and by guiding the artists with whom they collaborated. This led organically to his 2009 opening of RJD Gallery in the charming town of Sag Harbor, on the eastern end of Long Island. Not surprisingly, a portion of the gallery’s proceeds benefits charities supporting victims of domestic abuse, abused animals, and people living with mental illness. Looking back over his unique career path, Demato notes, “Fashion has much in common with fine art; both depend on timing, design, composition, color, and media.”

As a collector himself, Demato’s first purchase occurred in 1974 in Ensenada, Mexico, where he bought a giant papier-mâché parrot by Sergio Bustamante, and also a well-executed copy of one of Winslow Homer’s Caribbean storm scenes. Together these constituted a harbinger of his lifelong eclecticism. Over the years, therefore, he has acquired items as diverse as lithographs by Thomas Hart Benton, John Steuart Curry, and Grant Wood, two original works by Jamie Wyeth, and many antiques.

Yet Demato’s real passion is contemporary figurative realism. He is thrilled that “the rest of the art world has declared it as the great new trend, though it has long been a priority for me.” He says, “I collect and promote emerging and mid-career artists who make well-executed works that challenge me to discover more than the obvious, who share their voices and bare their souls, who tell stories that may sometimes provoke us. My paintings are about people. I think people who love people collect artworks depicting people.”

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Artist
Style
Medium
Price
Size

The Gift

36" x 36" / 91.4 x 91.4cm
Oil and 22k gold leaf on wood panel

Slumber-land

24" x 36" / 61 x 91.4cm
Oil and 22k gold leaf on wood panel

The Gift of Wisdom

48" x 36" / 121.9 x 91.4cm
Oil and 22k gold leaf on wood panel

Shared Secrets

36" x 24" / 91.4 x 61cm
Oil and 22k gold leaf on wood panel

Bloom

8" x 8" / 20.3 x 20.3cm
Watercolor on Panel

JSA “Giant” 1.2: Frightened Men

30" x 24" x 1.5" / 76.2 x 61cm x 3.8cm
Acrylic Ink Pencil on Wood

Superman: War of the Worlds 4

30" x 24" x 1.5" / 76.2 x 61cm x 3.8cm
Acrylic Ink Pencil on Wood

Prince 1.2

30" x 24" x 1.5" / 76.2 x 61cm x 3.8cm
Acrylic Ink Pencil on Wood

Scooby Doo 12.9

48" x 36" x 1.5" / 121.9 x 91.4cm x 3.8cm
Acrylic Ink Pencil on Wood

Aquaman 6.3

48" x 36" x 1.5" / 121.9 x 91.4cm x 3.8cm
Acrylic Ink Pencil on Wood

Spider-Man 2099 4.7

48" x 36" x 1.5" / 121.9 x 91.4cm x 3.8cm
Acrylic Ink on Linen Canvas

The Aftermath

48" x 36" / 121.9 x 91.4cm
Oil and 22k Gold Leaf on Wood Panel

Ella

30" x 30" / 76.2 x 76.2cm
Oil and 22k Gold Leaf on Wood Panel

Reflection

36" x 48" / 91.4 x 121.9cm
Oil and 22k Gold Leaf on Wood Panel

Mysterious Realms Exhibition Catalogue

PURCHASE

Do Not Feed Your Dragon

36" x 24" / 91.4 x 61cm
Oil on Canvas

Act III Ride that River

9.5 x 8 in | 24.1 x 20.3 cm

PURCHASE

Act II Prayer Like a War Cry

9.5 x 8 in | 24.1 x 20.3 cm

PURCHASE

Act I No Place for Me

9.5 x 8 in | 24.1 x 20.3 cm

PURCHASE

Solitaire

5" x 7" / 12.7 x 17.8cm
Graphite on Paper

Puppy

5" x 7" / 12.7 x 17.8cm
Graphite on Paper

The Lion in Love

8" x 10" / 20.3 x 25.4cm
Graphite on Wood Putty-Covered Illustration Board

The More I Grow, The More I Keep Away (Diptych)

6.75" x 9" / 17.1 x 22.9cm
Graphite on Paper

Lift

11" x 14" / 27.9 x 35.6cm
Graphite on Paper

Offering

8" x 10" / 20.3 x 25.4cm
Graphite, Oil Paint and Cold Wax Media on Paper

Papillon

11.5" x 15" / 29.2 x 38.1cm
Graphite and Gold Marker on Paper

Psyche

10" x 18" / 25.4 x 45.7cm
Graphite and Pastel on Paper

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