SANTA MONICA - A stone's throw from the beach, Folio Gallery is the ideal place to find that rare collectible poster you've always wanted on your living room wall. They specialize in all types of posters, including travel, product, political, and film. The gallery is owned by Daniel Strebin, Jason Vass, Robert de Pietro, and Roger Fenton, four of the world’s foremost print experts.
For nearly 35 years, Strebin and Vass have sought out those one-in-a-thousand rarities like the "Il Gigante" film poster featured prominently on their showroom wall. Before owning this gallery, Vass worked for an auction house and owned another gallery in Santa Monica for 8 years. Strebin professionally consulted thousands of private and public collections before joining Folio Gallery.
Robert de Pietro and Roger Fenton have also had their share of experience. Before joining the gallery, de Pietro was a leading vintage 16mm and 35 mm film dealer. Fenton worked on the other side of the industry as an editor on such films as "The Usual Suspects" and "X-Men II." Over the years, both film connoisseurs have helped build some of the world’s most comprehensive collections.
Folio Gallery also boasts rare Toulouse-Lautrec lithographs, posters from the Munich Olympics, and, of course, film posters featuring such legends as Marlon Brando, Fred Astaire and Humphrey Bogart. All posters in Folio Gallery are originals.
Before films like "Star Wars," Strebin explained, "the public was never allowed to buy real film posters... 'Star Wars' was the big transition." In other words, Folio Gallery owns the limited number of posters used in theaters which are consequently more valuable.
In recent years, a large amount of collecting has been taken over by Ebay. Strebin explained that serious consumers must see the artwork in person because, "Most people that sell on Ebay don't have any idea what they're selling... some things are just garbage." Strebin also said that it takes over 10 years of experience to distinguish a reproduction from an original. All four owners are more than qualified.
Currently, the gallery is showing "Oscar Nominees and Winners" which will be replaced next week by recent acquisitions, followed by their "Sports and Olympics" show in late July. Along with posters, Strebin and his three other partners plan to add Slim Aarons- jet-set "Town and Country" photographer- to their repertoire.
Folio Gallery has loaned its posters to the Hollywood Entertainment Museum and L.A. County Museum and has sold to several film fanatics and interior decorators. They also offer their appraisal expertise. Posters range from $25 to $10,000. However, at any price, all posters are specially picked for their uniqueness, design, and quality.
