Live In Art at Shambhala

Live in Art is the brainchild of Gallery owner, Kit Bentley. Having run her own art consultancy, Summers Art, for several years, she came up with the concept of her new project after spending a lot of time in France and being inspired by the French trend for showcasing art within living environments.

After 30 years of working in the art business, Kit knows how intimidating it can be to enter a formal art gallery or institution, and recognised a gap in the market for a business that makes art more accessible and affordable. Kit began to show the work of the artists she represented in her property in the Dordogne region of France and her own home in West Clandon, Surrey, and so earlier this year Live in Art was born.

Kit began her career in art and design with a course in Fine Art at the Inchbald School of Design in 1975 and since then she has gone on to complete over four qualifications in the subject, including a Bachelor of Arts degree in the History of Art, Architecture and Design at Kingston University in Surrey.

Having spent eight years trading French and British contemporary art in London and Surrey, Kit moved on to open Summers Art, an online gallery and art consultancy, specialising in personally sourcing original artworks for her clients.

Through her contacts among the artists and galleries of France and with long-standing connections in Paris, the Dordogne, the Rhône-Alpes and Corsica, she finds that the best of contemporary French art is at her fingertips.

The new venture is based at Kit’s Surrey home, but she makes regular trips to France to meet with both private and corporate clients and to work with the artists she represents.

Eric Bourse is an established, award winning artist who seeks inspiration in the lush countryside of the Dordogne and the alpine grandeur of Haute Savoie. His beguiling acrylic paintings, bold in the use of colour and texture, convey the shifting moods and seasons of these contrasting landscapes.

Having curated many exhibitions and opened several galleries including Limited Editions in Chelsea, Summers Art in Surrey and at her home in The Dordogne, Kit is now building on many years of success with her new venture. What better way to experience what she describes as “the pleasure and passion of French art” than in the relaxed and welcoming ambience of her home?