Gruen Galleries — Attraction in Chicago

When I was a receptionist, my business asked me to have a painting delivered from Gruen Galleries. I called and asked if they delivered personally, but they said they were too booked up and recommended an alternate delivery company, which I followed up with. The 3rd party company was extremely quick and efficent in getting me a quote.

After confirming the delivery with the 3rd party company, I contacted Gruen to confirm the pickup - Lisa said that the delivery company was now "ripping me off" and refused to allow them to pick up the painting, saying Gruen would do it themselves. They basically held the painting hostage until I paid them to deliver it, telling me that I didn't know what I was doing and that they knew the manager of my business "as a close friend" (they did not. Like at all - I confirmed this after the fact). They threatened to call my manager and get me fired for not allowing them to deliver.

When I finally gave in, just to get the painting delivered, the gentleman (who I believe co-owned the gallery?) delivered the painting himself and told me "wasn't it easier this way?". I have never been more condesended to by a business in my whole life - my manager ending up personally apologizing to me for their behavior, even though it wasn't his fault in the slightest. When people talk about their work "horror stories", Gruen is the story that I tell. I would recommend being very careful when working with this gallery and don't allow yourself to...

I went here years ago during monthly River North gallery events. I had not otherwise stopped in, even though I'd walked and driven by numerous times over the past 20 years. I finally went in last week after I read about the gallery's history and was totally blown away by the art. It is some of the finest art I've seen. Every piece has a depth, sensitivity, and perceptiveness that I usually don't encounter in modern art. I kept thinking that if I had a large house or company, I would definitely buy several pieces. The Chicago art I saw nailed the vibe of this area, and the abstract pieces were dynamic and exhilarating. Each piece is layered and impactful. The large pieces appear simple but are complex. They don't seem quickly made but are thoughtful and created with emotionality. I'm surprised people haven't scooped up all those pieces. And it's rare to see so much modern art created with "older" techniques and materials, such as layers of oil paint. I see lots of hasty acrylic creations nowadays. If you love art, stop in to...

It's art, for people who are furniture shopping and don't know anything about art. It's not a gallery as much as it is a poster store for ignorant rich people, unfortunately, but as we know, many rich people have no art background and just want some bright things to put on the wall. If you fill your house with this corny stuff, you are probably wealthy enough that your guests will not make fun of your lack of taste straight to your face. UPDATE: Someone who claims to be the owner just called me. He states that he will find a way to retaliate against this review by creating fake reviews against me, in unrelated businesses that he has no dealings with, and that he will take legal action. I stated that the review is objective and there is no need to amend it (except through...