La Jolla’s K. Nathan Gallery closing ahead of move to Portugal

After more than three decades on Fay Avenue in La Jolla, K. Nathan Gallery is shutting its doors and heading overseas. 

In a recent email to supporters, owner Keith Kelman said the art gallery would close Sunday, Jan. 4, before relocating to Portugal.

“It has been a pleasure and an honor getting to know so many of our clients over our 34 years in La Jolla,” wrote Kelman, who declined to be interviewed for this story.

A post on the gallery’s website said the move to Alcobaca, roughly 70 miles north of Lisbon, is “not a departure from Kelman’s career but a geographic extension of it” and an opportunity to take his expertise in American art to Europe.

“American and northern European collectors are increasingly moving to one of the most desirable gateways to Europe, Portugal, as a place to live, collect and engage culturally,” the post added.

“Kelman brings something rare to the region: deep American expertise in a European context. He is positioning himself where serious collectors are arriving but cultural infrastructure is still forming.”

Thus, in Portugal he will be working closely with private collectors and curating exhibitions more  than the day-to-day operations of a gallery. 

He also plans to serve as a “transatlantic adviser on American art” and will continue to “champion quality American and European paintings,” according to the post.

Kelman began K. Nathan Gallery in 1975, originally specializing in early California paintings and “high-quality rare coins and American antiques,” according to the gallery. Soon after, he began importing Jamaican art as well. 

The location at 7723 Fay Ave. opened in 1992.

In the years that followed, the gallery showcased “works of early California, Modernism, Impressionism, Bay Area Figurative, the Arts and Crafts and Depression eras,” as well as works from around the world. 

During his time in La Jolla, Kelman was active in the local business community, speaking out against a proposal to add paid on-street parking in La Jolla’s Village and against Senate Bill 10, a state law that allows cities to authorize construction of up to 10 residential units on a single parcel  in areas close to job centers, public transit and existing urbanized areas without requiring an environmental review.

To maintain a presence on the West Coast, K. Nathan Gallery has entered a partnership with Stewart Fine Art Gallery in Montecito. The details of the partnership were not immediately available.