| I moved to Columbus and opened the gallery in 1993. Although I was born here, I grew up in Northern California and studied art history in Paris. My first job was at Sotheby’s in New York, where I was introduced to the global art market. After a few years in Berlin, I decided to launch a small gallery in the Midwest. Columbus was interesting, not only for my family history with the city, but due to the growing interest in art and the establishment of the Wexner Center for the Arts. The relatively low cost of doing business allows for greater risk taking in the art we show. Over the past 15 years I have worked with artists from both California, New York and in between, including a small number of local artists. | 
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Rebecca Ibel
Laura Sanders, Late Afternoon Light, 2008. Oil on canvas, 20 x 29 inches. Courtesy of Rebecca Ibel Gallery.
I moved to Columbus and opened the gallery in 1993. Although I was born here, I grew up in Northern California and studied art history in Paris. My first job was at Sotheby’s in New York, where I was introduced to the global art market. After a few years in Berlin, I decided to launch a small gallery in the Midwest. Columbus was interesting, not only for my family history with the city, but due to the growing interest in art and the establishment of the Wexner Center for the Arts. The relatively low cost of doing business allows for greater risk taking in the art we show.
Over the past 15 years I have worked with artists from both California, New York and in between, including a small number of local artists. I have always considered the gallery as part of a national art community and not just an Ohio venue. To that end, the gallery has participated in numerous art fairs from the Gramercy Fairs to Art Chicago, Art LA, and fairs in Miami Beach. Just this past winter we exhibited at the Aqua Art Miami Beach in December.
Our philosophy is to show contemporary art that is beautiful, thought-provoking, and relevant. I also focus more on art to be lived with, to enhance and nurture one’s life at home and work. Although there is not a favored style, I do have strong interest in painting. One of the first artists I worked with is New York painter Billy Sullivan. Not only have we done numerous shows together over the years, he has also introduced me to a number of amazing artists such as Rob Wynne, Stephen Mueller, and from our fall exhibition back in October, Robert Harms. One other featured artist from the fall show, Daina Higgins, is a young painter originally from Columbus. I met her through her day job, working as a studio assistant for a painter Melissa Meyer.
Robert Harms’ new paintings represent some of the qualities in art I admire the most, a strong vision with intuitive painterly style, inspired by landscape. Daina Higgins, on the other hand, is a creature of the city, venturing out and exposing the unheralded views of suburban New York. Her delicate watercolors and oil paintings capture the vitality and youthful spirit of the urban flaneur. We were also excited to work with Columbus artist Laura Sanders, who was featured on the cover of the 2008 Midwest Edition of New American Paintings. Her new body of work was recently on view at the Aqua Art Miami Beach this past December.
