“Art helps,” states Nathan Vonk unequivocally. “It’s there to make you happy. It’s a constant in times of trouble and change, and it’s something that you share with loved ones and friends.”
Vonk is the gregarious owner of one of Santa Barbara’s greatest cultural institutions: Sullivan Goss, An American Gallery. Boasting an inventory of more than 3,000 oil paintings, watercolors, drawings, prints, and sculptures, Sullivan Goss is a primary West Coast resource for those seeking to build private and public collections of important American art.
On December 23, 2016, Vonk bought the business from its founder, Frank Goss, an icon in the Santa Barbara art world. “Frank and I worked for six months to make it happen,” Vonk explains. “Sullivan Goss is such a big part of the art community, and that’s why it was important for me to take it over and make sure it continued.”