Originally established at Clark & Wellington in Chicago, 1963,
in the area  then known as "New Town."

Within a very few years, the area became overrun
by an alien population (white suburbanites with credit)
who bought up the properties, threw out the Indigents,
and transformed the town into a very sterile version of itself 
that they call"Lakeview."

Still later - from 1985 until 2005 - in an effort to regenerate
the neighborhood - Fred Burkhart brought into being
a one-of-a-kind Gallery/Studio/Coffeehouse
known as the "Burkhart Underground,"
which held tenaciously to the  same location at 
2845 N. Halsted Street... until it too was
demolished by its greedy owners to make way for
additional banks, bars, and cloning centers.

However... currently, by appointment, 100's of works
are still on view, for pleasure and for purchase,
at the semi-private Coach House Dwelling of Fred Burkhart.
Reach him at 773 348-8536



This work by Bill Perez illustrates the electricity that abounds
at the Burkhart Underground
(permanent collection)



     

Two pieces by Sal, a participant in the Figure Drawing Workshops of the late 1990's
(permanent collection)



     

Two pieces submitted by a Russian Nymph who attended my 60th Birthday
The actual pieces remain in her possession,
but they are repropduced here for all the world to share in





This is a sketch drawn by Patience one night at the
coffeehouse.  Her photographs are represented
elsewhere on this site in the Art Gallery: Photographs





A delightful drawing of performer Mark Bose
drawn live by Diane Stojentin





Another Portrait of Mark Bose
Ink Drawing by Jackie Kilmer





"Alison & Beau"
Oil on Canvas by James Kapche
(permanent collection)



         

Matt Schultz by Teri Danai Vrakas                                      Suicide King by Jen Ross

"one woman's king is another woman's suicide..."





"The Creation of Eve" by Michelle 2002
(permanent collection)





"Mystic Bloom" by Holy 1999
(permanent collection)

Oil Painting by Michelle Wortman  1996
depicting Fred Burkhart & Trinity Valentine
(permanent collection)




"On The Road"
A Portrait of Fred Burkhart by Polly Kuenzel
circa 1993
(permanent collection)

Shortly after making this drawing, Polly went on the road
and took our daughter with her.  Ironically, she ran off with
a guy that looked a lot like the speed freak Neal Cassady,
the real hero of Jack Kerouac's "On The Road."






Self Portrait by Diana  2004
Painted Ceramic Til  6" x 6"
(permanent collection)





Portrait of Trinity Valentine by Ebony Chapman 2002
(permanent collection)


This pencil drawing was made by a 15 year old black
girl locked in an institution.  She shared a room with
my daughter, also locked in the same institution.

In contrast to my daughters half of the room --
every square inch of which was decorated with posters
of Eminem, Tupac and assorted other ghetto sniggers --
Ebony's was bare except for a lone drawing of her son.

I guess my daughter gave the drawing to me for safe
keeping, but I suspect it was really because she didn't
want to take down even one of her dozens of posters
of glamorous people she doesn't even know.

Which just goes to show... Kids will be Kids...
and Art will keep on being collected to remind us of
generations long since gone but never forgotten.