Hampton III Gallery: Legacy on Display

Inside the spirit of curation behind South Carolina’s oldest gallery

Contemporary art, history, and cultural influence collide—and thrive—at the Hampton III Gallery in Taylors, just a few songs on the radio from downtown Greenville. “We opened in 1970, and we’ve never closed. That makes us the longest-running, established gallery in South Carolina, I think,” muses Sandra Rupp, president and owner.

Rupp’s father, a university professor and entrepreneur, opened Hampton III Gallery 53 years ago with a handful of artist friends. By using paintings as payment, they rented the first space, and when they found a permanent home in 1972, they built out a community of businesses around the space, with the gallery as a focal point.

As a child, Rupp grew up in the gallery, surrounded by art. “My education was knowing these artists and watching their work through the years . . . what a way to learn about art—and South Carolina art particularly,” she reflects. When Rupp was in high school and college, she would work Saturdays, and later all summer, eventually being hired full-time in 1989. Ten years later, she purchased the gallery from the owners, including her parents.

“Our reach now extends well beyond Greenville, but our focus has always been South Carolina artists. It was Greenville that really got us started, right?” laughs Rupp, who is passionate about curating work that comments on, and even changes, the course of local history. “We’re really a gallery for mid-career and established artists that have been influential in the culture of the arts in South Carolina, who take a historical perspective on what is happening today. They’re not trying to imitate something else or somebody else—they’ve found a voice of their own and have realized what it is they’re trying to say visually.”

Curation at Hampton III Gallery

aHampton III has long since represented icons like Dr. Leo Twiggs, the first African American student to receive a doctorate of arts (Ed.D) from the University of Georgia and the first visual artist to receive the Verner Award (Governor’s Trophy) for outstanding contributions to the arts in South Carolina. “I have one or two artists that are over the line in Georgia, North Carolina, and Ohio, but most of my artists are indigenous to South Carolina. For instance, Sigmund Abeles grew up in Myrtle Beach and went to school with Jasper Johns at the University of South Carolina,” Rupp adds.

After more than 50 years, it’s unsurprising that Rupp has developed a unique partnership with collectors. “When people come in [to the gallery], they bring something with them: their own experiences and stories. They don’t necessarily need to have a narrative connection to a work. But there’s going to be some connection to something that they like in here because my artists are so unique. As a dealer, it’s a wonderful experience to help them explore that connection.”

A unique way the gallery supports collectors and makes art accessible is by offering financing to serious patrons—like investing forward in the arts and artists. “I work with clients as much as I can to allow them to purchase what they love,” says Rupp. “When a client decides to purchase the work, that’s wonderful. I feel like they’ve received something that will be an investment in their life. And that’s how I like to sell art—it’s all about the richness, and the beauty, and the experience that people gain from it, whether they’re an individual client or a museum. It is so affirming.”