Art Gallery With a Galley: Landmark Boathouse Art Collections
12.18.07 By Val UbellHubby and I got up early on Saturday morning, pretty much the norm. I leisurely started to read the paper, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. When I turned to the Metro Section, my heart stopped! 
The thing that got me so excited was a picture of the (locally) famous boat house! We’ve got friends in Milwaukee who took us past it one year and whenever we get near the city, we drive to it, park and just stare.
The really good news was that it was being opened to the public for the weekend! The headline read “A Gallery with a Galley.” It went on to say that works from various Milwaukee artists of years gone by would be displayed in this boat-shaped residence. 
Hubby was anxious to go as well so we headed out, camera and note pad in hand.
It opened at noon and we arrived a bit after 2:00. The weather was awful, snow had been coming down since the night before and the roads and sidewalks were not in very good shape. But it did not hinder us or the scores of other locals who anxiously walked the wooden steps to the “Landlubber.” 
It was pretty crowded and with the rooms being very small, you literally ‘rubbed elbows’ with a lot of folks. Most of them had the same story; they’d been past it many times and longed for the chance to go in and check it out. And we all agreed, it was pretty special!
All of the rooms have carried through with the nautical theme. Porthole windows, lots of wood, the back part of the boat (deck) had lawn chairs and seat cushions that were used in boating years ago. 
Music from the 1940s was playing on a ‘well-used’ stereo system. That really set the mood.
A large poster of David Niven, one of the best actors of his time, covered a large part of the wall and many other spaces had delightful pictures and paintings.
We introduced ourselves to Paul Finger. The newspaper article stated that Paul was owner, but he corrected that. It seems he has resided there for 7 years and has been doing his best to buy it.
You could tell how much he loved the place. An extremely charismatic gentleman, Paul showed us around a bit and was very enthusiastic about the artwork he owned and proudly displayed. 
Many of the pieces were by Leroy Ebert who studied at the Layton School of Art after World War II. He befriended artists such as Karl Priebe and studied with Gerrit Sinclair. His works included still lifes, portraits and abstract. There were a lot of ‘unframed’ pieces as well as larger pictures.
Many were purchased by art-lovers who wanted a bit of Milwaukee history. He also offered artwork by “Tess” who 
loved the female body and did a lot nude pictures. Very tastefuly done.
The newspaper article offered a nice history on the house and its owner/builder Edmund B. Gustorf. It is located at 3138 N. Cambridge Avenue, ‘dry-docked’ across the street from the Milwaukee River. It is 76 feet long, has a replica of a lighthouse by its side and is truly one of a kind. If you get a chance to view the house, do so. And if you get an opportunity to buy some artwork by Ebert, Priebe and Sinclair, be sure to do that too.
Paul was even kind enough to put out a spread in the dining area! Many of the folks gathered around (very cozy I might add), were art collectors looking for that treasure and nostalgic piece. It was such an enjoyable day and one for the memory books. 
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Article Tags: art, boat, boathouse, deck, Ebert, Edmund B. Gustorf, landlubber, Paul Finger, porthole, Priebe, Sinclair================
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December 19th, 2007 at 2:24 am
How spectacular!