New Grand Rapids gallery to feature Salvador Dali, Don Clausen originals

GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- It was at the back of a small Iowa gallery that David and Sandy Pearson laid eyes on their first Don Clausen painting. They fell in love instantly, and bought the only two in the gallery.

That paintings would be the first of many the East Grand Rapids couple acquired over the next 20 years of the California abstract expressionist, trained by pioneers of the movement. The self-proclaimed "sculptor of paint," Clausen uses tools of his own invention to create compositions ablaze with bold colors, shapes and textures.

The Pearsons, who now have the biggest collection of Don Clausen originals, are opening a gallery that will offer the most comprehensive collection of Clausen's work spanning nearly 70 years. It will also have select paintings and prints of Surrealist artist Salvador Dali, which the Pearsons collect.

The 86-year-old artist is making his first trip to Grand Rapids for tonight's opening of the Don Clausen Gallery, at The Breton Center at 2921 Breton Rd SE.

This is the first gallery devoted to the artist in the Midwest. The octogenarian artist turned to his biggest collectors with a request to help him market and sell his art.

"And I said, "Why not. I love it,'" Sandy Pearson said. "It has been challenging but in the same sense, it is a labor of love and that makes it easy."

The couple have 137 paintings at the gallery. Price tag-wise, Clausen's paintings and drawings run from the hundreds to the tens of thousands of dollars. The couple worked with a Grand Rapids gallery in 2009 on a retrospective of Clausen's work.

Clausen, a graduate of California College of Arts and Crafts, studied under world famous pop artist Wayne Thiebaud and acclaimed abstract expressionist Richard Diebenkorn in the late 1950s. He explored several forms and styles before recognizing his passion for spontaneity and risks characteristic of abstract expressionism.

"He's kinda of like an under-the-radar if you will Jackson Pollock type of artist that not a lot of people knew about him, but as he got more shows and exposure suddenly he exploded," said Larry Vein, a longtime friend of both the Pearsons and Clausen.

He is president of World One International, a Beverly Hills-based firm that promotes Clausen's work.

The under-the-radar description also fits the Pearsons. The low-key Midwesterners made their fortune supplying Meijer, SpartanNash and Kroger with fresh cut veggies. They employ about 250 people in West Michigan and another 100 at a fresh cut processing plant in California.

Pearson Foods Corp. produces 200 products, including some sold under the Meijer brand and its own brands such as Sun Yun Foods. The Grand Rapids company is also one of the largest sprout growers in the United States.

"Pearson Foods is probably the largest fresh cut produce companies in the Midwest," said Vein, whose career also includes running Pearson's California operation for some years.

David Pearson started the company while a student at Grand Valley State University in 1976. He invested $900 to hydroponically grow bean sprouts in a warehouse basement and deliver them in a station wagon to Meijer, and later to the company now known as SpartanNash.

The business grew so fast that he dropped out of college.

"In those days, one of (the retailers) would run an ad, and Dave would have to bring the whole family in to help pack up all of the product to ship it the next day because he couldn't do it all by himself," Pearson said.

The couple has more time for other pursuits as their son takes over leadership of the company.

Sandy Pearson will mostly likely be on hand to greet visitors to the gallery. She has taken on the role of gallery director after her semi-retirement from Pearson Foods. She ended her 25-year tenure as company president.

"This is my fun career," said Pearson, 55. "I have this profound respect for Don Clausen and what he does. I hope I'll find other people who love his work as well."

The gallery is located in a well-maintained strip mall between a nail salon and a cellphone store. While Breton Center might seem like an odd commercial neighborhood for a high-end art gallery, Pearson says its high-walled box interior is a good fit.

"It's not as much the location. It's the space," Pearson said.

She looked at a lot of potential sites throughout Grand Rapids and in Saugatuck, a waterfront art colony that draws Chicago and other big city residents during the summer. While there were more prestigious addresses, the interiors were broken up.

"That's not the space I wanted," said Pearson. "I wanted something that is more museumesque."

The goal was to create a hybrid of a gallery and a museum so visitors could come to sit down and enjoy the art, Vein adds.

She is planning to partner with other Midwest galleries to show Clausen's work. Grand Rapids is a good starting point to introduce Clausen to the Midwest.

"ArtPrize has made this such a go-to place for art," Pearson said.

Gallery hours are Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sat 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and by appointment.

Shandra Martinez covers business and other topics for MLive. Email her or follow her on Twitter @shandramartinez.

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March 19, 2016