About / History

Slewe Gallery was founded by Martita Slewe in October 1994. Situated in the centre of Amsterdam its internationally orientated program is focusing from its start on, though not limited to, new tendencies in abstract art, mainly painting. The gallery space has been designed by Herman Postma. On average seven solo exhibitions are mounted yearly. Sometimes an accompanying catalog is published, mostly designed by Irma Boom, who is responsible for all graphic design of the gallery. In 2004 a catalog has been published, documenting 10 years Slewe and in 2019 Private View, 25 Years Slewe, both designed by Irma Boom as well. Since 2009 the gallery started to organize almost yearly a special curated show. Since 2011 the gallery initiated a series of artist’s interviews on video by art critic Robert-Jan Muller and since 2018 a series of artist's audio interviews by Robert van Altena, you can download as a podcast through the gallery's website. Through the years the artists of the gallery have shown internationally and had important museum shows or participated in biennials or other curated group show. Works of them have been acquired by many important public and private collections through the gallery.

Slewe Gallery has participated in many international art fairs such as Art Basel Miami Beach, Basel Liste, Art Brussels, Art Rotterdam, ARCO Madrid, Art Forum Berlin, Fiac Paris and Art Cologne.

Slewe Gallery is a member of the NGA (Netherlands Gallery Associaition)

Also, Slewe Gallery complies with the Gallery Fair Practice Code:

The gallery in question records in writing the relationship between the gallery and the artist, including agreements regarding the duration of the agreement, prices and any applicable discounts. Other matters that may be recorded in this document include: monitoring and evaluation of the agreements, both parties’ targets (e.g. regarding international visibility), the relationship with a second gallery, agreements regarding the settlement of any discounts, regarding commissions from third parties, or the settlement of other expenses such as for transport, photography, insurance or the construction of an exhibition. Model contracts are available on the Dutch Gallery Association (NGA) website.
The artist remains the owner of their work until the full amount is paid to the gallery, with the exception of secondary trading. This also applies in the case of gallery bankruptcy or attachment.
The gallery shall transfer the full artist’s share of the sales price agreed with the customer within 60 days following the sale of the artist’s work, and provide the artist with the buyer’s name and address details, and a copy of the invoice.
Unsold artworks in the charge of the gallery must always be returned to the artist within a month, if requested by the artist.
The relationship between galleries may involve competition and rivalry, but in the case of different galleries representing the same artist, the galleries should in all respects remain loyal to the interests of the artist in question. If a gallery exclusively represents an artist, thereby acting as their ‘mother gallery’, and another gallery would like to organise an exhibition with this artist, the involved parties should make written agreements regarding the conditions under which the exhibition can be held (see appendix for a Dutch Gallery Association (NGA) model contract).
The gallery is expected to be professional and competent, and to maintain this professionalism and competence.
The gallery vouches for the authenticity of the work that they are selling.* In the case that a work is adjudged to be fake by a recognised independent party, the customer may return the work to the gallery owner and have the amount paid for the work refunded.
A gallery states the following on their website: their objectives, programme, working method and the artists that they represent.
A gallery is expected to act in accordance with the Fair Practice Code (fairpracticecode.nl), which includes an assurance against inappropriate behaviour at the gallery and elsewhere.

*If desired, certificates of authenticity can be requested from the Dutch Gallery Association (NGA).

About / Website

The first version of the gallery’s website regarded web space as a virtual extension of the physical exhibition venue. It allowed entering the gallery space in a different way than with traditional websites and used navigation as an essential part of the user’s information experience.

The website’s appearance was characterised by the reduction of colours to a small spectrum of greyshades. Only artists-related pieces of information were highlighted blue. Frames structured the site into a grid of horizontal and vertical information cells, the readability of which depends on their respective size. It was the user’s task to enlarge the different cells by interaction, to complete content and make links visible.

In 2004 www.slewe.nl has been awarded the red dot: best of the best and nominated for the red dot: junior prize award.