AlGiglio Gallery

The Beginning…

AlGiglio Gallery was started by AJ and his girlfriend Alex back in the Spring of 2020 - born in no small part as a result of the enforced lockdown imposed in the UK as COVID 19 took a strangle hold of the World.

As you may have read in AJ’s bio, he had been a fairly active Graffiti artist up until that time but for various reasons had already started to slow down in his efforts to bring colour to the walls of the capital. Encouraged by girlfriend Alex and, taking heed of Government recommendations to avoid mental health issues during lockdown by pursuing “hobbies” at home, AJ set up a make-shift studio in the garage, purchased a few canvases and found an outlet for his desire to create. He also used his parents garden to paint outside whenever the weather deemed it possible!

The transition to canvas took some time as he was used to having whole walls to express his artwork on rather than the limitations of painting on canvas. Through trial and error he found his own style, moving away from traditional “graffiti-esque” composition (although this was something he would later return to) and developed his own unique approach to abstract art. The thought of selling his artwork, let alone thinking that anyone would want to hang it in their home, was not even considered at that time - certainly in no way a motivation or incentive.

Artwork for sale…

It wasn’t until a friendly, art collecting neighbour - having repeatedly observed the masked man in his garage (engulfed in a fog of paint fumes) first inquired as to whether any of the artwork he had seen drying out front was for sale, that it even occurred to AJ that this was an avenue worth exploring. Urged on by his business minded girlfriend (who had long since realised that they either bought a bigger house or found a way to shift the ever-growing number of paintings taking over their home) and emboldened by the neighbour’s positive reaction to his work, that AJ (still somewhat reluctant and self conscious) decided to take steps to start selling his paintings.

A friend had previously suggested that Etsy would be a perfect platform in which to set up shop, ideal in terms of both its huge online presence and prominent artistically minded audience. So it was that on a day trip to Greenwich, inspired by like minded artists selling their wares in the famous market, that AJ, Alex and their daughter Lilly first brainstormed the concept of selling his artwork. At some point in the discussions the family connection to Italy came to the forefront and Google Translate utilised to good affect - resulting in the discovery that Al Giglio translated to “With Lilly” in Italian. The obvious connotation and combination of wording received unanimous agreement - even though AJ knew that the similarity would (still to this day) cause considerable mirth amongst his friends due to its close spelling of Gigolo !!

The decision to add “Gallery” to the name was basically in order to clearly define the fact we were selling art. There were no aspirations (not at that time at least) to obtain or procure a physical space in which to display the artwork on sale. Adding the word “Gallery” was purely descriptive and undeniably an attempt to add an element of authenticity to what was, at the time, unchartered territory. Coupled with the fact that AJ felt unsure as to whether using either his own name or (like so many of his peers) utilising his Graffiti pseudonym (Jyer) to full effect, it was agreed that AlGiglio Gallery would be the name under which his art (and possibly other artists in the future) would be sold.

The doors burst open…

To say that AlGiglio hit the ground running would be an understement! With very little promotion or advertisement and without any big announcement or social media endorsement, within weeks AlGiglio Gallery (hosted by Etsy) had sold numerous paintings and AJ was being approached by businesses and private buyers alike - all interested in either purchasing his artwork or acquiring his services for commissions.

Since that day there has been no looking back. AlGiglio has sold hundreds of paintings and received amazing feedback from customers and businesses - with AJ continuing to gain hard-earned critical acclaim for his artwork. With a couple of private shows already under his belt and a lot of private and public sector interest, the future looks good for AlGiglio Gallery. AJ now has his own private studio space where he continues to push himself and develop his own unique and diverse styles of artwork.

The Future…

With things moving forward at such a positive and exciting rate, the decision was made to begin a move away from both the safety blanket of Etsy and selling under the banner of AlGiglio, resulting in the development and creation of this website. The fundamental essence remains - providing affordable and original artwork that anyone can enjoy, whilst looking forward and helping other like minded artists sell their work in what is a very competitive and highly populated market.

With the growth of digital art and the ever evolving apps and methods of creating such artwork, this is certainly an area in which AJ is looking to utilise and transcend into. The possibilities of which are truly endless and extremely exciting but the desire to create original, beautiful, inspiring artwork will always be the foundation and primary motivation behind what we do.

We hope you continue to support us in our future endeavours and come along for the ride. It has and always will be hugely appreciated and never taken for granted. Thank you.

Update…

As you may have noticed, the rebranding process is already well underway - with a decision to promote and sell AJ’s artwork using his own name, rather than under the guise of AlGiglio Gallery. For all intents and purposes everything remains the same, it was just felt that showcasing AJ as an individual artist was the best and most sensible way forward at this time. The long-term plan remains the same though - to help and support other artists to develop and sell their artwork - so AlGiglio Gallery will hopefully return in the near future to do exactly that. Watch this space!