This oasis of fine-art exhibition and sales is cleverly hidden among the traffic-choked North and Clybourn Avenue corridors, three stories up an unassuming low rise office building squeezed between the Whole Foods and Transitions Bookstore. Madron's owners don't make too many overtures toward neighboring shoppers, and why should they? The healthy, stealthy gallery is providing upscale sales, auctions and curatorial services to a savvy class of clients.

The work housed in their 8,000 square-foot space and off-site is solidly American, circa 1890-1940, representing a broad range of "isms" like Impressionism, Modernism and Realism, including work by members of New York's Ashcan School. Most of the artists in their roster aren't household names, but Madron’s holdings include work by Robert Rauschenberg and James Whistler.

A discerning crowd of art buyers participated in Madron's Winter 2007 salon show and auction, both in person and online, bidding on an impressive collection that included work by Pennsylvania Impressionist Mary Cassatt and a miniature replica of Robert Indiana's celebrated "LOVE" sculpture. The space is periodically rented out for events, shows, and benefits geared toward artists and art enthusiasts, some attracting a national audience.

Madron opened the adjacent Exhibition Gallery in 2006, a clean, professional three-room space displaying a new set of modern and contemporary work each season. Madron's staff aims to match work with appreciative customers and help dealers sell their pieces. Their directors are cheery and courteous, and while their gallery isn't the most ostentatious or the easiest to find, they appreciate your business.

Centerstage Reviewer: Justin Sondak