Findlay Galleries is a commercial

art gallery An art gallery is a room or a building in which visual art is displayed. In Western cultures from the mid-15th century, a gallery was any long, narrow covered passage along a wall, first used in the sense of a place for art in the 1590s. The long ...

with locations in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

and Palm Beach.

History

Findlay Galleries was founded as "Findlay Art Rooms" In

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more t ...

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

, in 1870, by William Wadsworth Findlay. Initially, the company sold art supplies (including paints, brushes, canvas, etc.) as well as paintings.Staff (February 22, 1970), Findlay Galleries Plan Exhibition, Launches Centennial Celebration, ''Palm Beach Daily News''
additional text. William's son, Walstein C. Findlay, took over the business. One of the senior Wally's innovations was that of acquiring art directly from the capitals of

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

and bringing them back to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

for resale. Wally Findlay, Jr. joined the company in 1932, and under his leadership, the company expanded geographically opening a gallery in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

in 1931. In 1961, the gallery in Palm Beach was opened, followed by New York in 1964. In 1971, the company opened galleries in

Beverly Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. A notable and historic suburb of Los Angeles, it is located just southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Beverly Hil ...

and

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. In August 1969, Wally Findlay Galleries became a public company.SEC News Digest, 07-29-1969
The stock traded over-the-counter.Alexander Hammer (March 12, 1970), Amex Prices Drop In Slow Trading, ''New York Times''
In 1973, Findlay bought back 100% of the outstanding stock. Toward the end of the 1970s, Findlay sought to franchise the business.
In the fall of 1980, James R. Borynack, then a company senior vice president (and future owner of the company), bought the Wally Findlay Galleries in New York as the first franchisee.Dorey Finn Scott (March 22, 1981), The Findlay Name Opens Art Doors – Borynack Behind Reputation, ''The Palm Beach Daily News''
That same year,

Louis Stern Louis Stern (born January 7, 1945) is a veteran Los Angeles art dealer and President of Louis Stern Fine Arts in West Hollywood, California. Stern deals in the secondary market for Impressionist and Modern works. His gallery’s program specializes ...

franchised the Beverly Hills branch.Staff (December 7, 1980), Jack Silverman At Ankrum Gallery, ''Los Angeles Times''
In 1984, with the franchise system breaking down, Findlay again bought 100% of the company back. When Wally Findlay died in 1996, leaving no heirs. He left his company to his employees who managed it while looking for a buyer. James Borynack rejoined the company that year and purchased the company from the estate shortly thereafter.
In April 2016, Wally Findlay Galleries and David Findlay Jr. Gallery merged and continued operations under the name "Findlay Galleries."Ryan Steadman, (Apr 19, 2016), Second Longest-Running Private Gallery in the US Invests in Family, ''Observer''

References

External links

Wally Findlay Galleries
{{DEFAULTSORT:Findlay, Wally, Galleries Art museums and galleries in Florida Art museums and galleries in Manhattan Art museums and galleries in Spain Companies established in 1870