By Leslie Lampert, a former NYC journalist and the Founder/Owner of Ladle of Love

May 3, 2023:  In a culture where youth is exalted, I present to you one of the smartest, most successful, contemplative, compassionate “life experts,” the fierce force behind 35-year-old The Fine Arts Gallery in Bronxville -- Madame Florence Kooluris, 80 years young.

I had the privilege of getting to know Florence, a former graphic designer in NYC in the sixties, when I hung out with her at her gallery and learned about her jaunty journey toward the business of rescue art. But before I take you on that trip, let me define the concept of “Rescue Art.” Florence has made a living and become a legend for being the recipient of discarded artworks that she has helped refurbish by reframing them, thereby showcasing the forgotten value of the painting or poster.

In her shop -- a shrine to local artists’ work, framed largely in her back-of-the-store work lab -- she analyzes the artwork, then painstakingly creates custom frames that showcase the individual personalities of the paintings. For example: “A client brought in a painting of cats and dogs that she bought at a tag sale for $25 that needed repair after falling from a wall in her basement, and I restored it,” she says proudly. Florence then displayed it in The Gallery and it sold “in the high five figures.”

The Gallery is also home to local artists’ work that she exhibits for resale. “I take art in on consignment from many local artists and sell or resell,” explains Florence. “I also facilitate high-end framing and restoration and use the same expert restorators as The Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC.” And speaking of NYC, Florence recently framed the famed painting Our Lady of Guadalupe, that proudly hangs in St. Patrick’s Cathedral! “A client came to me with a piece of paper with the dimensions of the painting, a replica of the original that hangs in the Cathedral in Mexico, and I hired local company, CDNV in Mt Vernon, to facilitate with me. In six weeks, we delivered the painting to St. Patrick’s for installation this past January 12th!” she exclaims.

“I love art. I love people,” she says, passionately. “And I’m a painter. I knew in the 6th grade when I was making a poster for a bike-safety program at school, that I was an artist. (She won the contest for the Don’t Be A Monkey poster she designed.)

Florence was raised in South Orange, N.J. before moving to NYC. She went to a two-year art school and was excited to begin her journey with an impressive portfolio of her work, but someone stole it two days before graduation. “I had a tough road getting here,” she explains. “I had no credentials, never went to college and I’m dyslexic,” she says.

But she landed a job in a small design studio on the Upper West Side and then found her way to Bristol Meyer Squibb as a senior graphic designer, where she met her husband George, who was in the finance department. Fast forward to giving birth to her son, Douglas, who married Park Sterling President and Bronxville Chamber of Commerce President, Leah Caro. A beautiful Bronxville legacy, indeed!

“Bronxville is a wonderful village,” gushes Florence. In fact she resides in the apartment right above The Gallery and is a true local. “It’s a walking village, and we have so much art history here. We’ve had 23 major artists living here including Will Hicok Low, famed muralist; Charles Louis Hinton, celebrated painter and sculptor; Spencer Baird Nichols, prominent portrait painter and illustrator who also designed glass for Lewis Comfort Tiffany.

And speaking of history, Florence framed all 89 prints and posters that have hung on the walls of the Village Hall since 1992. “We’re living in a disposable world,” laments Florence. “Most people don’t appreciate what true art is,” she explains. “It’s a very personal thing.”

But Florence sees the beauty, backstory and intent on pieces her clients bring to her. And then brings them back to life.