Fine art on display at historical Thompson House

By Bernard Mendelman - ARTSEEN  - WestSide -August 23, 2000

Lunching with David Astrof at the restaurant in the historic Thomson House located at 3650 McTavish, part of McGill University, I found the private club a perfect venue for Astrof's re-allocated gallery. Artwork is exposed in almost every room of this four-storey, elegantly maintained former mansion.

What a joy to see paintings displayed in this homelike setting. Dorothy Grostern, whose exhibition "People" is being held at the Centre culturel de Verdun (5955 Bannantyne) until September 22, is depicted at the David Astrof Gallery with some of her eerie shadow figure charcoal pastels.

Among the other works that caught my eye was an older piece, Pearlsteins at Their Grandson's Bar Mitzvah, by Shirley Katz; Fish out of Water, an unusual landscape by Vivian White; Safety Net, a black comedy concept of a merry-go-round by Chery Holmes; the low-fire ceramic sculptures by Claudine Ascher; the computer image photographs by Helga Schleeh; and Victoria Block's pen and ink drawing from her iritis series. The works can be accessed at www.artap.com. To arrange a personal tour, call 286-2476.