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It’s a familiar story in Silicon Valley: after long and successful careers in high tech, executives who have then pursued more creative passions during their second act. For Danish-born Benny Madsen, it was buying Byington Vineyard and Winery. For his wife Amy, it was opening an art gallery in Los Altos. How the two have used their entrepreneurial skills to mesh and manage their new endeavors is a classic example of how it is never too late to follow a dream.
Amy Madsen, who holds degrees from Columbia University and Dartmouth College, had a career as a marketing consultant before stepping away in order to work with her husband in the Santa Cruz Mountain winery. They are Los Altos residents and decided to open a tasting room for their artisan wines on Main Street, which they ran for four years. Realizing that their lease was about to expire, Madsen began to look around for another location.
“We live here and wanted to stay in Los Altos,” she said.
Luckily, she did not have to look far. Just across the street a vintage bath store had closed and Madsen saw the potential immediately. With its white walls, high ceilings and three large, connecting rooms she knew exactly what she wanted to do; fill the space with art and also make it an event venue where Byington wines could be served.
Madsen Gallery opened in May of 2022 with the objective of showing paintings and sculptures by regional and international artists. But how does someone with little or no background in the arts become a gallerist?
“I had to learn by doing,” Madsen said.
Keeping in mind that COVID was still a concern, Madsen did what many artists and gallery owners did at the time – became adept at using Instagram.
“I fell in love with the sculptures of Oleg Lobykin and courted him until he agreed to be part of my first show,” she said. Lobykin, who is a classically trained stone sculptor, works in an abstract style in stone, bronze and stainless steel.
Madsen realized that Instagram was an amazing resource in finding new artists – and also as a place where artists could find her gallery. When she sees a promising artist whose work fits in with the contemporary focus of the gallery, she will contact them and discuss the possibilities of an exhibition. Sometimes she does studio visits, but she has also taken the risk of inviting artists without actually seeing their work in person. So far, it has paid off, probably because Madsen is very open to allowing artists to make major decisions.
“I would say that the artists are also the curators,” she said. She is willing to allow the artists to select the work they want to show and encourages them to do the actual installation work themselves. She does enjoy selecting the artists for each of the three distinct rooms in the gallery, explaining that “I really consider them as three solo shows.”
It is obvious that Madsen loves making personal connections with artists and combining artists with disparate styles in the gallery. Her current show (on view until June 1) includes the hard-edge minimalist paintings of Angela Johal, the pristine white architectural sculptures of Bartosz Janczak and the typographic abstraction paintings of Jared Michael. Madsen has also renovated an outdoor patio area behind the gallery as a space for the fun and funky figural sculptures of local artist James Moore.
All of these artists and those in her growing roster meet the main criteria that Madsen has established. “They have to be serious artists,” she said. “They have to be serious about their craft and have spent a serious amount of time doing it.”
Madsen Gallery is, after all, a sales gallery located in one of the wealthiest suburbs in the country. Madsen acknowledged that the business is well-located. “There are lots of collectors in Los Altos with contemporary homes that are perfect for Minimalism-type art,” she said.
Madsen originally anticipated that it might take five years to become established but said that the last year was really a turning point. “I think I quadrupled sales this year.”
Beyond the obvious financial benefits, Madsen revels in the networking possibilities of the business. “I love to promote people and make connections,” she said, adding that she has been pleasantly surprised at how many good friends she has made through the gallery. “For me, this is important because I really value relationships.”
In addition to presenting opening receptions for the gallery shows, Madsen Gallery also participates in many of the city-sponsored events such as the recent Spring Bubbly Stroll. The gallery is also available for corporate events, recently hosting a reception for Google employees visiting from out of state.
“We offer three wines for tasting and have a very large grazing board,” Madsen said. During these two-hour receptions, she will try to have at least one exhibiting artist present to mix and engage with participants. While events like this are revenue-producing, Madsen also pointed out that she has hosted receptions for nonprofits like Child Advocates of Silicon Valley.
When not in the gallery, Madsen is an avid traveler. She has created an extensive online newsletter that provides information about the artists she represents but also reviews of exhibitions she has visited in museums all over the United States. It is clear that Madsen has thrown herself wholeheartedly into this new artistic endeavor and that it is a success.
“I have been pleased with the reaction so far and have gotten some good feedback from both collectors and artists.”
Although the gallery has limited hours (she is the sole staff), Madsen is available for private appointments and happily opens the door to visitors anytime she is in the space. She anticipates that the business will continue to grow and laughed when asked about her goal for the gallery.
“When people walk by, I want them to say ‘Wow! I can’t believe she’s doing that! I can’t believe that is here.'”
“Hopefully,” she said, “I am bringing world-class art to Los Altos.”
Madsen Gallery’s summer exhibition takes place June 6 through Aug. 31 and will feature work by California artists: Sofia Shu (paintings), Angela Johal (paintings), Jon Krawczyk (sculpture), Anki Gelb (paintings), Nancy Ilg (sculpture) and John Contreras (sculpture).
Madsen Gallery is open Thursday-Saturday, noon- 3 p.m. The gallery is located at 351 Main Street, Los Altos. apmadsen.com
