Allan Barry Stone (1932–2006) was an American art dealer, collector, and leading authority on Abstract Expressionism.
American cartoonist Gus Edson was a family friend and his artistic talent fascinated Stone when he was a boy.
[4] Following his graduation from Boston University, Stone practiced law at the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington D.C. and then on Wall Street in New York City.
His clientele included Robert Mallary, John Chamberlain, and Elaine de Kooning,[5] the latter of whom was instrumental in convincing Stone to quit law and start his gallery.
[6] His growing relationships with artists eventually drove him to quit law for good and open the Allan Stone Gallery.
[2] During the gallery's first decade Stone showed established luminaries such as Willem de Kooning, César, Franz Kline, John Chamberlain, Barnett Newman, and Alfred Leslie.
It was also unconventional in its frequent showings of unknown woman artists and artists of color, such as Eva Hesse, Gerald Jackson, Jack Whitten, Elizabeth King, Sue Miller, Sylvia Lark, Kazuko Inoue, Diana Moore, Oliver Lee Jackson, Mary Lovelace O'Neal and Lorraine Shemesh.
Works by the foremost figures in American art, including Willem de Kooning, Arshile Gorky, Robert Mallary, and Andy Warhol, hung alongside works by artists that were relatively unknown at the time such as George Deem, Thomas Downing, Stephen Durkee, Charles Ginnever, Hans Haake, John Kacere, Bernard Langlais, Robert S. Neuman, and Wayne Thiebaud.
He exhibited Arshile Gorky and John D. Graham alongside power figures from the Congolese Songye and nail fetishes.
Aside from rare instances such as these, his vast African and Oceanic art collection existed largely for his personal enjoyment and resided in his home.
[6][22] Stone was also a leading authority on Abstract Expressionism, particularly de Kooning, Kline, Barnett Newman, Jackson Pollock, and Arshile Gorky.
Their relationship is renowned as "one of the most influential partnerships in American postwar art, and [has] left a legacy that many of today's artists and dealers struggle to emulate.
He was instantly captivated by the artist's lush modern still-lives of pies and gumballs machines and became Thiebaud's most enthusiastic advocate.
[6] The exhibition resulted in a very favorable review in the New York Times and a significant number of sales, including a private purchase by a curator from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
[12] One memorable exhibition was Wayne Thiebaud's solo show, which featured his iconic paintings of cafeteria counter pies and cakes.
This 1960s exhibition was not only a visual feast but became a noteworthy event when Elaine de Kooning attended its crowded opening.
Discovering that ARTnews had sent a young reviewer who disliked the show, she immediately called Thomas Hess to urge him to visit the gallery, recognizing the significance of Thiebaud's work.