Danielle Morse

Morse's mother, a full-time artist, and her father, an avid art collector, introduced her to the subject at a very young age. Morse's current art collection, which spans the globe, was carefully procured over a 20-year period. Her middle name, "Monet", was given to her at birth by her father in homage to the French impressionist painter Claude Monet.[1]

Despite her art-influenced upbringing, it wasn't until she turned 36 that Morse embraced her destiny to become a painter.[1] After her education, Morse spent 12 years working in the wholesale flower business, where her keen eye for color and balance helped her find success. She then moved into real estate, as a broker and developer. As fate would have it, during the 2008 real estate market crash she returned to her art roots. Morse has been painting ever since.[2]

Her relationships with commercial real estate became a huge asset in the pop up gallery field. She approached owners with the idea of filling spaces with temporary, pop-up art exhibitions. These scenarios allowed Morse to exhibit and sell her paintings without a significant financial commitment, and landlords to realize tenant income until properties were leased long-term.[3] Morse's deep knowledge of Chicago neighborhoods and demographics helped her pinpoint locations rich in art enthusiasts and buyers. The attention and traffic her exhibitions generated helped Morse quickly ascend to a position of prominence in the Chicago art community, and accelerated the leasing of vacant properties.[3]

Danielle Monet Morse, Happy Hour, 2010, oil on canvas, 9 x 7 feet, private collection

Morse's exploration into the abstract is a meditative process. Morse is aggressive and knowledgeable in her demeanor and in her art; her style can be characterized by a refreshing disregard for rules and norms. Her innately introspective and irreverent approach allows her to bring the emotional depths of her soul to life on canvas, via intense color and bold, rhythmical applications of paint.[4]

Studio view of Hannah from Morse's Elephant Puzzle series, private collection

From 2008 to 2010 Danielle Monet Morse occupied a studio space in the Flat Iron Building[5] in Chicago where she also exhibited and sold her work. Danielle was invited to participate in over 30 shows throughout her residency.[3][6]

In the fall of 2008 Danielle ran into a former real estate colleague while shopping for art supplies. They began discussing their art careers, and decided to utilize their real estate experience to open and manage pop up galleries. From 2008 to 2014 the duo together opened 5 separate pop-ups, and managed to sell over 50 of Danielle's large scale paintings (6 ft x 7 ft).

From October 2013 to October 2014, Morse opened a storefront space and signed a 1-year lease, establishing Treva Gallery in Chicago's Ukrainian Village.[7] Treva Gallery's opening exhibition happened in mid-January 2014, during one of the worst winters in Chicago history. Despite brutal temperatures and hazardous travel, Morse managed to attract large crowds and sell out her entire show of 12 large-scale paintings from her "Elephant Puzzle" series.[8]

From November 2014 to May 2016, Danielle created a body of work where she painted a 9 piece homage to Picasso's[9] "The Old Guitarist",.[10]

Morse's paintings are part of permanent lobby collections in several noted Chicago buildings, including The Fine Arts Building, 410 S. Michigan, 555 Quincy, 40 E. Oak, and 1100 N. Dearborn.

Morse's awards include the 2011 Art Prize in Grand Rapids, MI where she was awarded the Lobby installation at The B.O.B.

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