GITTER GALLERY, LLC
METAIRIE, LA

Doug Gitter began collecting contemporary American folk art and sporting art when he was in his earlies twenties and over the last thrirty years he has cultivated close and rewarding relationships with many of the artists, several of whom are now recognized in the Smithsonian Institution and many other museums. Doug treasures the time he has spent with these these self-taught artists. Most of their work came from the heart and I was really moved by it. Traveling to visit the artists reached national acclaim when a reviewer of his collection claimed, "Doug Gitter collects some of the best folk and primitive art in the South." (Southern Living Magazine, July 1995). Doug, a former restauranteur, owned Doug's Place in New Orleans, the first two restaurants in America which combined folk art with dining prior to the creation of The House of Blues. Doug created Gitter Gallery in 2006 because he wanted to share his love of the artwork with others.  He began with canvas art.  For the following six years,, Doug designed and developed The Clementine Hunter Collection which features hand-made ceramic serving platters and bowls. Each piece depicts what everyday plantation life was like in the rural south prior to mechanization coming to agriculture. According to Doug, when Clementine Hunter was living you could drive to Melrose Plantation, go talk to her and buy a painting for a few dollars.  Nowadays the same painting might sell for several thousands of dollars.  I wanted to take artwork which was once very affordable and make it affordable again so that others could enjoy a piece of American history. In August 2015, we designed and developed two new product categories to The Clementine Hunter Collection:  hand-embroidered pillows and hand made dinnerware.  Additionally, In November 2017, we are excited to introduce six new serving platters to the Clementine Hunter Collection which include:  Saturday Night At The Honky Tonk, Cane River Wedding, Rocking The Baby While Grandma Knits, Tending The Flowers, Playing Cards, and Pickin' And Weighin' Cotton.  For all Clementine Hunter Collection products sold, a portion of the proceeds go toward preservation and interpretation of the Clementine Hunter House at Melrose Plantation, A National Historic Landmark.   Brett Smith's hunting and fishing paintings are amoungst the best out there today.  New for November 2017, we are introducing the Brett Smith Sporting Art Collection.  We spent over two years designing and developing this collection with every sporting enthusiast in mind.  This unique hand crafted serveware collection features nine styles including:  Keepers, Promising Day, Evening Skies, First Flight, Swamp Buck, Autumn Pheasants, Deep In the Pool, Flush In Fall, and Quail Country.  If your passion is hunting and fishing or simply enjoying the beauty of the outdoors, this collection is for you.