In 1918, when U.S. art galleries were the private preserve of the plutocracy, an $18-a-week office worker named Edith Halpert ventured uneasily into the domain of Manhattan Dealer Joseph Brummer, offered him a down payment on a then $650 Seurat. Growled Brummer contemptuously: "Go to Macy's."
Mrs. Halpert's answer was to start her own gallery in Greenwich Village. She soon staged what she believes to be the first U.S. "Christmas Exhibition," with prices ranging from $10 to $50 (on the installment plan). Last week, when her gallery still dubbed the Downtown, although it has long since moved midtown launched its 35th...