Art and Antiques in Beacon, New York

Danish-born artist and jeweler Jens Olaff Bille has opened Gallery 508, an innovative venue in the picturesque upstate New York artists’ colony of Beacon. Located on a stretch of Beacon’s Main Street that is dominated by galleries and restaurants, the new gallery stands out from the rest by featuring contemporary art as well as antiques.

“We plan to showcase artists and photographers from throughout the Hudson Valley and beyond,” says Jens, “and at the same time feature quality antiques and objets d’ art.”

Currently on display are photographs by Swedish-American photographer Jack R. Lindholm, featuring gorgeous, dramatic full-color sunsets along the Hudson River.

The stark black-and-white photographs by RPM artfully chronicle the discotheque scene in New York City in the 1970s and 1980s, capturing some surprising juxtapositions: Bianca Jagger talking to Mohammed Ali; Mick Jagger with Andy Warhol; Debby Harry with Pierre Salinger. There are also rare photos of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg.

Jens Bille’s oil paintings evoke the Danish countryside and scenes from around the Hudson Valley. Other landscapes and figures appear in delicate drawings executed in colored Chinese inks. Also on view are Jens’s unusual sculptures.

Glittering display cases hold an assortment of jewelry and antiques, bronzes and art glass.

Gallery 508, located at 508 Main Street, is open Friday, Saturday and Sunday from noon to 6pm. In addition, the CIty of Beacon has a “Second Saturday” tradition each month, when all galleries and shops host an open house and stay open late.

Visit the website at gallery508.com, or contact them by email.