Noah Layne's story about Sergio Patrich

I started showing work at the Simon Patrich Gallery in fall 2003.

I was part of a five-person “magic realist” show at Simon Patrich Gallery in spring 2005.

At that time I found that a couple of my paintings were damaged at the gallery and I was not getting a good feeling from Sergio and the gallery.

I had no idea that the gallery was closing for the summer of 2005 and moving to a new location. I found out that the gallery had moved when my father was in Vancouver and went by the old gallery’s location. I was shocked that the gallery would move without letting me know.

I had a very hard time both contacting Sergio and finding the new location of the gallery. When I did contact Sergio, I told him I wanted to pick up my paintings. He didn’t return any of my calls after that. When I found out where the new gallery space was (it was not yet open to the public) I went to Vancouver to try to get my paintings back. Sergio would not let me take them back that day as he said that he was too busy….. But I could pick them up the next Friday.

I got a lawyer to write a letter to Sergio letting him know that if I was not able to pick my paintings up on Friday I would sue him for the value of the paintings. I went to Vancouver the next Friday and managed to pick up all six of my bigger paintings. I was told that my two smaller painting were “miss-placed” (more likely sold.) and Sergio would call me when he found them. I was so relieved to be able to pick up my big paintings that I just left. My lawyer continued to send Sergio letters to pressure him into paying me for the missing paintings but we never heard anything back. I decided that at the time it was not going to be worth my time and emotional energy to fight for my money through small courts clams in Vancouver. I’m still owed $1100 for my two small paintings.

Noah Layne