Juraj Skalina: Master Framer - Epi. 190, Host Dr. Mark Sublette

Juraj Skalina was my guest on the podcast today. I've known Juraj for.. gosh.. 25, almost 30 years? I started using him as a framer in 1996 and I think it's so important (when we talk about the business of art and the world of art) that we don't forget it's not just artists and art dealers. It's also people that work to optimize art for display in homes, galleries, museums, etc. such as framers, a critical component of our business. The craftsmen and craftswomen that work in framing often get overlooked. 

As for Yuri, he's a really interesting human who came from Czechoslovakia. He emigrated during a Russian-led invasion of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic for the purpose of suppressing political liberalization during a period of time known as the 'Prague Spring (a situation that is eerily similar to what's going on now in Ukraine). Basically, this is the story of a refugee who ended up in art school, ended up being in the military in Israel, owned an art gallery in New York City on the Upper West Side, and finally landed in Tucson, AZ, where he became a framing legend.

I really enjoyed listening to him talk and learning his incredible backstory. Even though I've known this man for a very long time and he's framed a lot of things for me over the years... I've never dove into the intricacies of his life and getting to sit down for an hour and just have an intimate conversation was incredibly rewarding.

I think you'll enjoy this podcast very much AND It's an especially valuable resource for artists looking to understand the value of a great frame, or better yet, a great framer.