Artist Jesús Núñez is the creator and main contributor of the gallery. His story is a unique one, with many ups and downs, but is proof that perseverance and belief in yourself is all you need to succeed.
Originally from Spain, Jesús used street art to express himself as a teenager. As he matured, he turned to the culinary arts. He pursued a three-decade-long career as an executive chef and restaurant owner in many elite restaurants in Spain and New York City. The New York Times called his cuisine “edible art” and compared Jesús to famed Spanish surrealist Salvador Dali.
When COVID hit the restaurant industry hard, Jesús went back to his roots as a visual artist and started producing an extensive inventory of art in his home studio. After a year had gone by, he then realized it was time to make this his full-time career. He now had dreams of opening up an art gallery of his own! He had always been an entrepreneur, opening restaurants and other businesses in the past, so how hard could opening an art gallery be?
Things were going fine until Hurricane Ida hit the town of Millburn. The flood destroyed many businesses in downtown Millburn, and amidst construction, Jesus’ soon-to-be gallery space was now flooded and damaged by water. Just as he was 2 weeks away from opening, he had to restart the building process. This was a huge setback, physically and financially. After two months of reconstruction, Jesús was finally able to open his first contemporary art gallery doors!
About Jesús Núñez
The next question was, can art help others? The answer is the "Love Always" collection, a charitable endeavor in which Jesús donates part of the proceeds to local nonprofit organizations. This reflects his belief in the power of art to make a positive impact on community and society.
After two successful years running his Millburn gallery, which specializes in abstract art, Jesús expanded his vision by opening a second location in Summit. This new space focuses on representational and non-abstract art, as well as fine art photography.
Next was what kind of art gallery?
The answer, like in all of Jesus’s businesses, was…
A different one!
Jesús's gallery stands out for its unique approach. Committed to addressing the gender gap in the art industry, he decided to represent women artists and focus on local talent, while also including some male and non-local artists to avoid extremes. His gallery is not just a space for art but a platform with a strong message and soul.
He didn’t stop there. For Jesus, his gallery needed to be customer-centric. A space able to meet every creative need or want. For every client who walked through the door to get a unique, tailored, and human service.
This led him to create the Art Wall Project: a new, easier, and holistic way to buy art for homes, specifically designed for people who don’t know where to start. Containing different packages with set prices depending on what you're looking for. A home makeover made stress-free.
Now that there’s a service to optimize buying art, what about personalizing it? Jesus wanted a way to marry the talent of the artists with the differing tastes of each customer. Hence, Art Commissions was born. An opportunity for clients to custom commission a one-of-a-kind artwork fit to their specifications, the perfect gift!
After this, Jesus noticed his services were only made for individual homeowners, especially non-art aficionados. This made him want to broaden his customer base to businesses and seasoned collectors, creating something more suited to their needs. His solution? Art Curation. A bespoke service to build a cohesive collection based on tastes, available space, and design specifics. Establishing a portfolio just got easier.
One thing was still missing…No artwork is completed without a frame! Most of the artworks in his gallery are sold without a frame, it was time to change that. Jesus partnered with a framing company in Summit with over 50 years of experience to create a complete buying experience. So every artwork is ready to be hung after leaving the gallery.
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As you can see, Jesús has always been an artist, and with that comes belief in yourself, no matter what setbacks life throws at you. He simply turned in his knives for paint brushes and brushes into running art galleries.
What's next? Stay tuned, this is only the beginning.
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