The Current Master of Mercantile

© Robert Kulisek
One of our favorite spring art experiences is not in a museum or a gallery at all. In fact, it’s the middle of an appointment-only vintage palace. Todd DiCiurcio (above) has loaned his art to be displayed in the middle of SoHo’s impressive Melet Mercantile, and the likes of Dustin Hoffman and Josh Lucas came to the opening in February. Ever since then, the scores of big name designers who frequent the Wooster Street staple were lucky enough to catch DiCiurcio’s pieces. It’s a perfect collaboration in many ways; the showroom’s owner, Bob Melet, overhauls his space completely four times a year to keep inspiring and progressing, while the artist doesn’t do anything according to the rule books. Classically trained, he evolved to energetically capture bands like La Dolce Vita and The Killers live on stage with charcoal and paint (Morrissey at Carnegie Hall on March 26 is next) and has exhibited his work since in the most untraditional of places, admitting to not being the biggest fan of standard galleries. The Mercantile showing encompasses an array of DiCiurcio’s work from the past decade that highlights his talent for sculpture, texture, and irony in the midst of neatly displayed array of vintage sections that pay tribute to everything from Cali surf culture to crisp Cuban motifs. To visit: Call for an appointment with Melet Mercantile at (212) 925-8353; 84 Wooster St.