Fox Tax in Minneapolis looks back at 10 years as an art haven

January 13, 2017 at 5:45AM
"The Virgin" by Colin Kopp will be part of "Count Backwards from 10" at the Gallery at Fox Tax.
“The Virgin” by Colin Kopp will be part of “Count Backwards from 10” at the Gallery at Fox Tax. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Count Backwards from 10

Back in 2007, before business-run art galleries became a PR norm, sprouting up shamelessly in IT companies, BMW dealerships and chiropractic offices, siblings Mark and Alyssa Fox opened a showroom in what would seem to be the most bloodless, art-averse environment imaginable: a tax-planning office. But the Gallery at Fox Tax soon became a legit force. It had a knack for party throwing, an always surprising eye for art we would grow to consider quintessentially Minneapolitan — the gallery was an early champion of design-y painters Garrett Perry, Jennifer Davis and John Grider — and generally operated with sincerity and taste, when it easily could have pandered and fished for clients. (Its bread-and-butter is "to make an art out of your business," i.e., tax prep for creatives.) Saturday's opening is an anniversary (10 years), a retrospective (group show of 20 gallery alumni) and also a tentative farewell: With Fox Tax relocating this summer, the gallery "in its current form" is slated to close in April. Sad. (Free opening reception 6-10 p.m. Sat., Fox Tax, 503 1st Av. NE., Mpls. foxtaxservice.com/gallery)

GREGORY J. SCOTT

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