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PROFILE

David Klein: Art Dealer

CARLA JEAN SCHWARTZ

Local Columnist

where he was in awe of Eliel
Saarinen's designs.
"My dad is an avid collector of
contemporary art, and I grew up
surrounded by it," recalls Mr. Klein. He
remembers his father educating him
about art and introducing him to artists
and art dealers.
He also developed a passion for
music and attended Interlochen. He
studied trumpet for several years with
Iry Sarin, a former performer with the
Israel Philharmonic. Mr. Klein was
forced to quit the trumpet due to an
orthodontic problem.
During his adolescence, he spent
many months in Israel. His parents
owned a home in Yemin Moshe,
Jerusalem. He even worked on a
kibbutz one summer. "I have a strong
cultural identification with Israel," says
Mr. Klein.
In 1984, he entered the University
of Michigan. A turning point in his

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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 1990

Farmington Hills, MI 48018

NAME: David Eli Klein
AGE: 24
OCCUPATION: Owner and director of
O.K. Harris Works of Art in
Birmingham.
FAMILY: His mother, Diane Klein, is a
social worker at the Jewish Vocational
Service. His father, Marvin Klein, is a
dermatologist. His sister, Helene
Davidson, is an actuary and
homemaker. His grandmother, Clara
Cohen, resides in Southfield.
RESIDENCE: Detroit
FAVORITE BOOK: The Magus by John
Fowles and Lectures of Modern Art by
Meyer Shapiro. His favorite artists are
Tbm Wesselman and Egon Schiele.
HOBBIES: Collecting art, art decor,
furniture of the 1950s and decorative
arts. "I wish I could say I painted or
drew, but I don't."
LATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT: "Building
and opening a gallery in a month and a
half."
PHILOSOPHY: "Undecided. I don't really
have one yet. David Klein has not yet
evolved, but I'll find something sooner
or later."

BACKGROUND: David Klein grew up in
Southfield and Bloomfield Hills. He
attended Southfield Public Schools and
Detroit Country Day. He-was graduated
from Cranbrook High School in 1984,

A turning point in his
studies came when he spent
the summer of 1985
studying Renaissance art in
Florence, Italy. "That started
the fires to pursue art in a
scholarly aspect," he says.
When he returned to the
Ann Arbor campus, he
began seriously studying art
history.

studies came when he spent the
summer of 1985 studying Renaissance
art in Florence, Italy. "That started the
fires to pursue art in a scholarly
aspect!' he says. When he returned to
the Ann Arbor campus, he began
seriously studying art history.
After graduating U-M, he
sidestepped art and entered law school.
After a year, he decided to return to the
art field and open a gallery.
Mr. Klein decided on the
Birmingham area and received
permission to use the O.K. Harris
Works of Art name owned by New
Yorker Ivan Karp. The Birmingham
gallery is owned by the father-son team
of Marvin and David Klein, but is
operated by David.
Mr. Klein's office boasts a Tom
Wesselman acrylic (for sale, naturally)
and furniture from the 1950s. Looking
at his interesting office, he says: "An art
dealer needs to have a certain
eccentricity."

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