by Suzanne Daub
There’s a particular kind of person who can’t walk past a crooked painting without straightening it. Robert Foster is that person: the kind who notices the tilt of a frame in a crowded restaurant, who sees not just walls but canvases waiting for the right art to complete a room’s story.
After more than a quarter century as a vital part of Nantucket’s art scene and 15 years operating his gallery at 8 India Street, Robert Foster is closing his doors to open infinite possibilities as a mobile Art Purveyor.
Foster has spent more than 30 years in the art field, the last 27 of them on Nantucket. At the end of 2025, he’s embarking on what he calls a “reinvigorating transformation”— closing his gallery space to offer a service that will bring art into homes and businesses in a more fluid, personal, and convenient way.
“This will be fun,” Foster says, with passion and enthusiasm. “It will be magical to be part of choosing the art, hanging it, and seeing it in its new home. There’s nothing like actually being there for it.”
Robert Foster Fine Art will remain open at 8 India Street through Nantucket’s Stroll weekend and a bit beyond, with a 25% off moving sale running from the day after Thanksgiving through the Monday after Stroll. But this is not an ending—it’s an evolution into what Foster believes is a more meaningful way to connect art, artists, and collectors.
Foster’s pivot reflects a broader shift in how art lovers now discover and acquire pieces. While galleries once served as the primary gateway to the art world, today’s collectors increasingly purchase directly from artists or through online channels. Rather than fight this trend, Foster is embracing it with a business model that adds what digital transactions cannot provide: expertise, presence, and an unerring aesthetic. He has a deep sense of place and position, and he is a connoisseur of local island talent.
“I have one client with mobility issues who, instead of traveling, now purchases from me art that she sees on my Instagram,” Foster explains. “She calls me, I discuss it with her, and then ship it to her.” It’s an arrangement that combines the convenience of online browsing with the trust and knowledge of a decades-long relationship.
But Foster’s reinvention as an Art Purveyor goes far beyond remote transactions. His mobile services will bring the gallery experience—and more—directly into clients’ homes and businesses, offering a comprehensive suite of services that includes art sales, representation, consulting, curating, placement, and delivery. He will even assist with de-acquisitioning of art that no longer serves a client’s space or style.
Interior designers have long known what homeowners often discover too late: sourcing and placing artwork is one of the most challenging aspects of finishing a space. “More than one has told me that one of the hardest things in interior design is the art,” Foster notes, reflecting on his years of collaboration with island designers.
His new model addresses this challenge with a methodical yet intuitive approach. First, he visits the home to view the space. Then he takes time to get to know both the physical environment and the homeowners themselves: their tastes, their lifestyle, how they use each room. With this understanding, he makes recommendations on how to display existing artwork and suggests new pieces that would enhance the space. Finally, he hangs the art himself, ensuring every piece is positioned precisely where it belongs.
It’s a combination of curator and consultant, dealer and installer—roles that might seem disparate but that Foster, with his decades of experience, weaves together seamlessly. He knows how to handle art, how to hang it, how to display it. These aren’t minor skills; they’re the difference between art that transforms a space and art that simply occupies a wall.
“I did it this year for a couple of clients,” Foster says of his early experiences as an Art Purveyor. “Delivered the art, brought it into the house, helped them decide position…It makes it much easier for the buyer to make decisions.”
Foster’s transition from brick-and-mortar to mobile doesn’t mean he will abandoning a gallery’s role of supporting artists. If anything, it deepens those connections. He’ll continue representing both on-island and off-island artists: acting as the crucial link between creators and collectors. His deep experience in the field gives him unique insights from both perspectives. He has often shared his impressions and practical wisdom with artists as an informal advisor: making recommendations to artists from a buyer’s perspective about framing trends, how to prepare artwork for hanging, and details that can make the difference between a sale and a pass. “It’s the kind of business acumen that only comes from years of watching what works and what doesn’t, what clients respond to and what leaves them cold,” Foster explained.
For homeowners, Foster offers a direct connection to island artists. Rather than serving as a gatekeeper, he’s become a facilitator, introducing clients to the creators whose work might be perfect for their space. With Nantucket’s vibrant artist community, these connections can transform a home’s ambiance and enhance a collector’s relationship with the island.
What animates Foster most about this new chapter isn’t the business model, it’s the intimacy of the experience. Where a traditional gallery creates distance between dealer, artist, and buyer, his role as an Art Purveyor collapses those boundaries. Foster gets to be present for the moment when a piece finds its home, when the perfect piece of art completes a room, and when a collector discovers an artist whose work speaks to something they didn’t know they were seeking.
“This business model fits well with the way that art aficionados now purchase their art,” he acknowledges. But it adds something that digital transactions can never provide: the human element, the expertise, the eye that notices when a painting is slightly askew and knows exactly how to make it right.
For art lovers, Foster’s transformation means losing a familiar gallery but gaining a trusted guide who comes to them, who understands their spaces and their tastes, who can navigate the island’s rich artistic landscape on their behalf. It’s a trade that reflects how we now live—less tethered to physical locations, more connected through personal relationships.
His new business model is “still evolving”—for an Art Guy who’s spent three decades perfecting his craft, this evolution isn’t an end, it’s a new beginning.
Robert Foster Fine Art at 8 India Street through December 8
then Robert E. Foster, Art Purveyor • 508-221-3056
robert@robertfosterfineart.com
Follow on Instagram @robertfosterfineart • Facebook.com/robertfosterfineart