'Funny Money' by Tom Kraa, 1987, Hyper-Realism, Trompe-L'œil, Still Life, D W Gallery, Dallas, Texas

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Signed, verso, 'Tom Kraa' and dated 1987 on stretcher; bearing original gallery label verso with artist name, date and title, … Read more Signed, verso, 'Tom Kraa' and dated 1987 on stretcher; bearing original gallery label verso with artist name, date and title, 'Funny Money'.
Previously with: DW Gallery, Dallas, Texas

An exceptional trompe-l'œil still life showing illuminated party lights, United States currency and a crossword puzzle against the backdrop of a sheet of pegboard. This little known artist exhibited with the prestigious DW Gallery in Dallas in the year before it closed.

Along with several other women, Linda Samuels (formerly Linda Surls) started the DW Gallery (DWG) as a small women's co-op at McKinney and Hall streets in 1975. In the first few years, the gallery was staffed by member artists, each of whom worked three days a month and paid a $33 monthly fee toward overhead costs. Throughout its 13-year history, the gallery developed a reputation for recognizing raw talent and eventually became one of the nation's most respected showcases for contemporary regional artists. DWG was the first to exhibit several "new" artists who are nationally recognized today, including Lee N. Smith, David Bates, and Clyde Connell. The gallery was also successful at promoting up-and-coming Dallas artists such as David McManaway, John Hernandez, and Sam Gummelt. In 1978, the gallery was incorporated after receiving backing from founding member Lou Alpert (formerly Frederickson). By 1980, when director Linda Samuels moved to California, the gallery had expanded twice. In 1981, Diana Block succeeded Samuels as DWG director. Under Block, the gallery continued its successful theme exhibits, including a popular Book/Art exhibition. In 1983, DWG expanded to a new space on Main Street in Deep Ellum and opened a bookstore in a renovated warehouse.

In 1986, when the gallery again needed to expand, it moved to new space on Canton and Oakland Streets rented from John Tatum, Dallas developer and major stockholder in DWG. After a dispute over the lease, the gallery closed in September 1988. By this time, its operating budget had increased from $24,000 to $100,000 since 1981, with investors contributing less than 25 percent of the annual budget. The closing exhibition, The Last Show, was guest-curated by founding member Linda Samuel. It featured recent works by each of the 28 artists associated with the gallery over the past year. The gallery received postcard tributes from more than 80 artists who had exhibited there through the years, including Bob Wade, Peter Julian, Gilda Pervin, James Surls, Benito Huerta, Dan Rizzie, Danny Williams, Bill Komodore, and Frank Tolbert. See less