Galerie Michael

One of the worst galleries in California and in the US.
Use of Galerie in name; oh pardon moi!
Do yourself a favor, stay away.
Galerie Michael sells overpriced crap.
Most of the Unilocal reviews are shills. Read reviews from buyers to know how experienced Galerie Michel is at screwing those with money.

Such an amazing gallery, filled with great art and friendly people who love what they do.

My review does not reflect the gallery itself, which was sublime, but the employees are disgusting.
They didn’t greet anyone who came in, myself included, only idled around giving snobbish stares. You have to take a guess at who is the staff, and who is the visitor, because they refuse to show acknowledgement. Only one gentleman engaged me because I made eye contact. I asked for assistance later on, as I wanted more knowledge about the pieces I was viewing which most astounded me. As soon as the man I was with learned I wasn’t there to buy (he asked me if I was a collector, to which I replied that I wasn’t, but had a passion for art.) he excused himself, saying he needed to send out an e-​mail to a client, when in fact the entirety of the time that I was wandering the gallery, he stood there having chats with his colleagues. These people are not art appreciators at heart — educated in art — but not true art lovers. They are only interested in you if you are there to purchase the art.
Also, there is a small dining area, but since no one was present behind the counter, I wasn’t certain if it was closed, there for employees only, or if I had to ask a staff member to serve me. Although they saw me looking lost they only carried on talking amongst themselves, staring at me and not asking if I needed assistance. Yes, I could have simply interrupted them, but I was so strongly put off at how pretentious they were.
EC Gallery is significantly smaller, neither do they exhibit the works of historically famed names such as Dali and Picasso, but the staff there is warm and they take pride in educating the visitors about the pieces they are viewing. They engage with their clients, buyers and browsers alike, you could feel their passion and love for what they do. I have been to all of their California locations, and so I am not praising them based off of a single visit or a single employee. My experience with EC Gallery is consistently positive.
I certainly won’t return if I can avoid it, the exception being if they have a rare piece that I could only find at this location. I would have loved to return to share my experience with the art — its beauty — with family and friends, however the staff needs to correct its behavior.

All these people want is money. The whole place reeks of sleeze.

Two words: shell game.

This place is amazing. They let me come in and wander and just be awed by all the amazing artwork. Most of what they had hanging on the walls was so far beyond my budget I couldn’t even breath right around it, but some of it was very reasonable. When I’m ready to start my art collection, which hopefully will be very soon, I’m flying back out to Beverly Hills and throwing down!
The whole staff was friendly and even though they knew I didn’t have any money to spend on art, they filled me in on all the pieces they loved and why.
I had a good time!

This will be my last update. They never intended to make anything right, they just wanted more money. I had requested they buy back the frames their former employee told me I was getting for free. I never heard back from the gallery manager. My sales associate told me to assume this meant «no.»
I spoke with the manager, Robert, and he flat out refused to help me. Just as speculated, he tried to feed me a sales pitch. When that didn’t work, he told me he makes all the decisions, that he would not help me, and then again tried to sell me more art! He told me that I was the one lying about all the things his former associate, Ralph (the real liar), had told me and then, for some reason, added that I was in good hands with Sean, my current associate, for all of my «future purchases» (Sean, who sent passive-​aggressive emails to a friend of mine and went as far as to say «it’s been an enlightening experience» in reference to dealing with me, an unhappy customer). And, after all this, Robert went on to say they have «great customer service and so many happy customers,» because obviously I’m wrong, and then said that, because Ralph is German, there must have been a language barrier and I misunderstood him. Are you kidding? So inappropriate to even bring that up.
Do your research before you buy. They were sued recently for selling a fake Chagall. Here’s a link to the suit that was filed and an article about it:
Make your own assumptions on this one, but I immediately ran to an appraiser after reading this.
Oh and then there’s the appraisal. The piece I paid $ 1,800 for, which was marked down from $ 3,000, was valued at hundreds… Yes, hundreds. The one I paid $ 5,000 for was valued at $ 1,800. I’ve also spoken to another gallery owner who recently paid $ 200,000 acquiring a collection that the original purchaser paid $ 800,000 for… and guess where they bought the pieces?
Also worth noting: If you look at all the reviews here, the ones from people who have PURCHASED art are bad, the ones from people who have not are good. If the reviews were only from real customers, this gallery would have a one-​star rating.

Contacted me about a month ago. As a previous poster stated it was probably to up grade & pay them even more money. We figured out the gallery game in the late ‘90s, buying more from these clowns isn’t going to happen.
I’m sure they contacted us only cause of the reviews on line. So its all about them. They didn’t care one bit to call me back a couple of years ago, I tried numerous times over a month, to contact them. Left messages what I was calling about.
2011, I sold a piece for $ 600.00 we paid these clowns $ 7,500.00. in 1995. (Had to pay $ 200.00 to the auction house.) 16 years later & you’d think, well maybe it would at least be worth half. This painting must of been worthless when we bought it.
They showed me what they were. ‘Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me.’

They have some wonderful art exhibit events — with works showcasing Dali, Picasso, Chagall, Miro. Very friendly and educated staff, not too pushy — just doing their job by requesting your contact information.
Their paintings and sculptures are pricey, as they carry original works of art by famed artists.
Their 2^nd story is surprisingly large, and a nice range of displayed pieces. Located in the heart of the famous corner of Rodeo Drive and Wilshire Blvd. Free valet parking for the first 2 hours in the underground parking structure of the shopping center.

This is the most chic place I went to this year.
Came in for a lecture/​presentation last saturday and it was a nice way of bringing back my artistic side that has been burried for a while.
Next time to go there, take your time to admire Fernand Leger, Picasso, and more painting from oil paint to contrast, and imprssioniste, you will enjoy the art of paintings.
Definitely recommended.

This place in a gem, an incredible space, with real art by world renowned artists. Housed in the former Jose Eber Salon on Via Rodeo, the owner and his partners have arguably the best private collection of Picasso artwork on the west coast.
On the list to get in, with a nod from the reception guy we ascended up the winding staircase. The space looks small from the entrance but when you go up to the second level, you enter an exclusive enclave with recessed lighting, and several gorgeous, spacious, white rooms which are filled with an extensive Picasso collection hanging in pretty frames all over the walls.
Some serious art collectors here, who had a few of their own private pieces on display as well. Many stayed later for the art discussion given by Michael, who is well-​versed on the topic. Down the path from McCormick & Schmick’s.

One of my favorite galleries in all of California. The art is diverse and not overpriced. Richard Rice, one of the art advisors, is a wealth of knowledge and just a delight to buy from. I rounded out my collection of Manet prints with a purchase made with Richard’s help.
They recently moved to a bigger space which shows the art even better.
Well worth a browse… you may just find something for your walls.

While it seems nearly impossible to believe, this Rodeo Drive gallery is home to appropriately priced works presented without undue puffery by an owner whose passion for collecting is evidenced by the attitude of his staff.
I haven’t purchased from this gallery yet, but return frequently to review their ever-​changing inventory.