About the Gallery

LAWSONgalleries opened in a small space in the Presidio Heights neighborhood of San Francisco in the fall of 1962. The space had been a one-chair barbershop for a number of years and became available at that time at $55 per month. The business started with art, small furniture and a framing service. When a second space became available it was also rented and only showed art. The first one-man show was mounted with the works of Manuel de Silva.

Subsequently a much larger space became available in Pacific Heights and the galleries were united. The business remained at this location until 1977 when it moved to the up-and-coming neighborhood South of Market in San Francisco, where it remained until 1987. After 25 years the gallery closed, having been named one of the “ten best” by San Francisco Magazine. This was an amazingly productive period in the San Francisco art scene.

In 2014 Mr. Lawson decided to reopen the gallery in Guerneville, CA, yet again an up-and-coming area for artists. The first one-person show at the new location was Fern Vere Kennedy. Mr. Lawson is excited about this new artistic venture.