About

  •  

    EXPERTISE

    Gallery 19C is an international gallery focusing exclusively on the 19th century, one of the richest, most diverse 100 years in the history of art. The founders, Eric Weider and Polly Sartori, represent a unique combination of expertise and passion for the 19th century. No one is better positioned to serve today's passionate collector by introducing them to the quality, the variety and the diversity of the spectacular 19th century.
     
  • Who we are

    Eric has been a collector for 25 years and understands the collector's need for quality and value. Polly has 30 plus years experience running the 19th Century Paintings Departments at both Christie's and Sotheby's in New York. Together they bring incredible depth of knowledge and dedication to the formation and development of Gallery 19C. Our team
    Who we are
  • The legacy of 19th century art

    We stand on the brink of a revolution in the arts. - Stendhal, 1820

     

    Modern art was made possible by the legacy of the 19th century artists who strove to develop their individual artistic expression from within a rigid system and in the process wound up freeing artists from any system.  Artists like Monet, Renoir, Cézanne and Picasso were all direct beneficiaries of what came before.  The freedom any contemporary artist enjoys (and perhaps takes for granted) is their inheritance from the 19th century. 

     

    Gallery 19C celebrates the revolutionaries and innovators - artists such as Delacroix, Courbet, Corot and Millet; they paved the way for the next generation of painters.  At the same time, we celebrate the art of the traditional artists, those who adhered to a long history of academic standards.  They too, long overlooked, deserve a place in the pantheon of 19th century art history. 

     

    As a gallery, our goal is to showcase the rich potential that exists in this rewarding field of collecting.

    The legacy of 19th century art
  • Our philosophy

    Our philosophy

    We believe that the 19th century is poised for a much-deserved re-evaluation, after almost 100 years in obscurity due to a fixation with Impressionism and other forms of modern and contemporary art.  For those who are collectors or enthusiasts of the Impressionist and Modern movements, Gallery 19C will take you back to their roots so that you can re-experience the excitement of the time and see in it very clearly the lead up to everything that followed… a product of continuous rather than radical change. 

     

    We firmly believe that there are many opportunities for private collectors and museums to secure the very best – the most provocative and significant examples of 19th century paintings – at reasonable prices compared to the amounts making headlines in other collecting fields.

  • Our team

    • Eric Weider, Owner

      Eric Weider

      Owner Eric is a businessman who has been a passionate collector of 19th Century European paintings for 25 years. As a long-time collector he fully understands the collector's perspective and through Gallery 19C he is focused on offering the very best quality 19th Century artworks at a fair value. He is passionate about introducing the beauty, historical importance, and great value in 19th Century paintings to future collectors. Read more
    • Polly Sartori, Director

      Polly Sartori

      Director Polly is a specialist in 19th Century European paintings, drawings and watercolors. After graduating from Wells College with a BA in Art History, she moved to New York City and was hired as an Assistant in the Department of European Paintings at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. While working full-time at The Met, she also studied at The Institute of Fine Arts of NYU, receiving her Masters Degree in Art History. Read more
    • Agnès Penot, Director of Research

      Agnès Penot

      Director of Research As Director of Research for Gallery 19C, Agnès is responsible for compiling the comprehensive cataloguing for all paintings in our inventory. This involves a thorough investigation of the provenance, exhibition history and relevant literature references. Agnes often works off-site at The Getty Research Institute Library and at The Bibliothèque Nationale de France and The Institut National d’Histoire d’Art in Paris. A French native, Agnès holds a PhD from the Université Paris Sorbonne. Read more
    • Lois Lyda, Gallery Manager

      Lois Lyda

      Gallery Manager Lois has a background in education and event planning in the nonprofit sector. A graduate of Southern Methodist University and a Hunt Scholar, she spent a year studying abroad in Paris, where she deepened her love for French language, culture, and fine arts. Her role at Gallery 19C consists of overseeing the day-to-day operations of the gallery, building strong community relations, promoting the gallery through publicity and programming, and serving as a people-focused presence for visitors. Read more