August 27, 2007

Postcards from the Edge

“Proof of Purchase,” at Rhys Gallery

If only buying art didn’t feel like such a commitment.

Otherwise, you’d have dumped those portraits by your artist-cum-coffee barista ex ages ago. (Not that he has a clue what the word means.)

But when the piece comes from a true talent and it goes for less than a Benjamin, you’ve got yourself a real keeper.

So clear your schedule for tomorrow’s opening of Proof of Purchase at Rhys Gallery, where hundreds of donated, four-by-six-inch postcard-size works will be available to purchase on the spot. It’s first come, first served, so get there early. Each is priced at $50, and the money goes to the School of the Museum of Fine Arts scholarship fund.

The rub? They’re all anonymous until you get to the register. It could be a print by Kiki Smith (whose work normally sells for $10,000-$100,000) or a young up-and-comer like Mark Chariker, who put on a sold-out show at the gallery last month.

So no matter what you choose, you’re sure to take home a winner.

Too bad we can’t say the same about that ex.

Proof of Purchase opens tomorrow at 6 p.m. Rhys Gallery, 401 Harrison Avenue, South End (617-357-7497 or rhysgallery.com).