In the market for Judaica art? These agents make the perfect match

Meir Kruter’s gallery is off his kitchen, in the dining room.

On the wall are four large original paintings, 36x48, of the Bostoner Rebbe, Rav Moshe Shapira, Rav Kook and the Steipler, all in this artist/photographer’s signature mosaic style — pixeled mosaics with hundreds of different Hebrew letters that occupy tiny boxes, the faces of gedolim created with the texts of their teachings. His latest painting in this series, a vivid, colorful portrait of Chacham Ovadiah Yosef, leans against the wall for people to view and appreciate. Other works are stacked vertically in the corner. Hundreds of thousands of dollars in art, waiting for a home.

Artists are a type. Talk to them, and they often discuss the feelings, the thoughts, the inspiration behind their work. Meir likes to talk about emes, and how he translates that into the grid mosaic in his work. But these artists often get stuck and start stumbling when discussing strategies for selling their work and getting it out into the world. Meir Kruter would be the first to say that he’s not the best at selling his art.

Like all industries, there’s the business backend of Judaica art. It’s the part that makes it all come together, giving access to the public and parnassah to the artist. But the Jewish art world is small, as is the buyer’s market, and today there are just 11 Judaica art dealers making it their full-time parnassah, according to Moshe Frank of the Jewish Art Fair and Leviim Art Gallery in Crown Heights.

Meir Kruter is one contemporary artist whose work has received acclaim and garnered interest from dealers and galleries. So why is he cautious about using their services, preferring to display his work on his website and in his own dining room, hoping someone will buy? On the other hand, if the Jewish art world is so small, why is a middleman even needed?