Acclaimed Asheville artist dies

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Noted Asheville artist Jonas Gerard died Friday, September 25, 2020, after a period of declining health, according to an announcement posted on his Facebook page.

Gerard was internationally known for his art, both abstract and representational. His most widely known work, titled We The People, was selected as the Bicentennial portrait for America. President Gerald Ford accepted the piece in a White House ceremony in 1975.

Gerard Jonas Schlouch was born in Casablanca, Morocco, on June 27, 1941, to Simone and Josef Schlouch.

In 1955, Gerard immigrated to New York City with his mother and sister.

According to his Facebook announcement, Gerard legally changed his name to Jonas Gerard when people mistakenly pronounced his last name “Slouch.” He also enlisted in the Army and gained his U.S. citizenship.

By 1963, he had established his first gallery in Greenwich Village.

In 1968, Gerard rented a gallery space in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and with other South Florida artist founded the Las Olas Art Festival.

When he drove into Asheville on the way to visit his daughter in 2006, according to the announcement, “he said he knew it was the place for him." He rented a warehouse space across from an abandoned steel mill in the yet to be revitalized but now famous Asheville River Arts District.

He added a second location in Asheville in 2013. Prior to the COVID-19, it was one of the most visited galleries in Asheville.

Survivors include his daughter, Mira S. Gerard, of Johnson City, Tennessee.

A memorial service will be held later at Sant Bani Ashram, in Sanbornton, New Hampshire, with interment in the ashram cemetery. A reception at his Riverview Station Gallery in Asheville will be announced.