Glimpses of San Francisco's scenery have taken over a West Portal real estate company’s office, all in the name of supporting local artists and celebrating diverse cultures.
“The Art of Place” is a two-part art show featuring the works of 20 artists in paintings, photography, collage and ceramics. Each piece depicts views of San Francisco. The show is a collaboration between BarbCo Real Estate and Ingleside Gallery, a pop-up art gallery that was founded in Ingleside. The first half of the show took place at BarbCo’s Marina location earlier this month, with the second half opening on Friday at the real estate company’s West Portal offices.
“After Covid, the city really lost a lot of energy and life, especially in the art community,” BarbCo Real Estate owner Paul Barbagaleta said. “This is just a testament to how colorful and amazing the San Francisco art community is and still should be recognized as one of the more vibrant art scenes in the world.”
In February, Barbagaleta put out a call on social media for artists across the city to come and display their work in his storefronts to make each neighborhood a more vibrant place. Ingleside Gallery owner Shrey Purohit answered right away.
“It really comes about from the recognition that real estate is about the city and it's one lens to look at the city which is like buying, selling, owning, acquiring versus an artistic lens of looking at the city is more on the beauty, what it means to live in the city, the scenes that you would not see on like postcards and very much on the ground lived reality,” Purohit said.
This exhibition has a lot of firsts for both Barbagaleta and Purohit. Though this isn’t the first event that BarbCo Real Estate has hosted that focused on local artists, it is the first of this scale, Barbagaleta said, and he hopes to make this an annual spring festival. As for Purohit, this is the biggest show Ingleside Gallery has helped curate.
For Barbagaleta and Purohit, this exhibition shares the message of supporting artists, keeping them in San Francisco, and celebrating the culture that lives here through pieces created by a small selection of artists.
West Portal’s edition of the show will feature 15 artists. Purohit said prices for pieces range from $100 to $10,000, with 90% of commissions going to the artists.
“I love being part of a group show around a specific theme, especially when it centers on our fair city of San Francisco,” said photographer Katie Cofer, who displayed images of lowriders in the Mission. “It is inspiring to see how other people see the city; it helps to expand my own view.”
Artist Sarah Horowitz, who has shown in several Ingleside Gallery exhibitions, jumped at the first opportunity to be a part of this show. Her collection of pieces titled “92.3 Percent of a View from 19th Avenue” purposefully leaves out 7.7% of the painting. The reason, she said, people will have to come to the show to find out.
In one of her previous works, titled “Gaps & Glances,” she intentionally left out portions of the paintings to highlight the wage gap between male and female artists.
“When a local business displays the work of a local artist, something powerful happens: neighbors discover each other,” Horowitz said. “The person who painted that landscape on the wall lives three streets away. The customer who stops to admire it might become a collector, a friend, a collaborator.”
Other artists like Alvar Jacomet, who painted “Bay Window,” Andy Stattmiller and Zoe Ani enjoyed the concept of displaying pieces in a place where people may not typically engage with art.
Stattmiller, who painted “Parrots by the Bay,” added that he loves that the show brings art into an everyday setting and feels that there should be more art shown in non-traditional settings.
The Exhibition’s theme also reminded Ani, whose pieces include “Knowledge is Golden” and “Cranes,” of more than physical locations but of actions as well, and how it provides insight into how people interact with each other and the world around them.
“I’m grateful to be part of the show and excited for people to see the work,” Stattmiller said. “I hope visitors leave feeling inspired to look at San Francisco a little differently and maybe even make something of their own.”
BarbCo Real Estate’s Marina location will have work on display until July 1, and West Portal’s show will be on display until Aug. 1.
“The Art of Place” Opening Reception
Address: BarbCo Real Estate, 45 W Portal Ave.
Date and time: May 1, 2026
Collector Preview (By Invitation): 5 – 6 p.m.
Public Reception (Free): 6 – 8 p.m.
RSVP
