Alan Kaplan

Alan Kaplan (ca. 1951– ) is an antiques collector, dealer, and appraiser based in New Rochelle, New York. In 1973, Kaplan joined his parents, Leo and Ruth Kaplan, in running Leo Kaplan Ltd., an antiques gallery they opened on New York City’s Madison Avenue in 1969, following years of vending at regional antiques shows. (Kaplan’s sister, Susie Jacobson, also joined the firm.) The gallery became one of the preeminent American dealers of glass paperweights, specializing not only in antique weights but also in those made by modern artists, such as Charles Kaziun, Paul Stankard, Delmo and Debbie Tarsitano, and Chris Buzzini, among many others. Though Leo Kaplan Ltd. closed its physical gallery space in 2018, Alan Kaplan continues to run the business online.

Gallerist Alan Kaplan discusses the rivalry between Paul Hollister and Paul Jokelson.

Playing1:34 Transcript
Alan Kaplan

Alan Kaplan discusses discusses the rivalry between Paul Hollister and Paul Jokelson. Oral history interview with Alan Kaplan by Barb Elam, conducted via telephone, April 25, 2019, Bard Graduate Center. Clip length: 01:34.

Alan Kaplan: We knew Paul Hollister and Paul Jokelson from the very beginning. And the two of them used to have this friendly competition. You know, listen as I said, when you’re a dealer, you never take sides on anything. Everybody’s your friend, and everybody’s your customer, so—you sort of stand on the sidelines and watch the goings on. I mean, we certainly know of the rivalry, and it was always there. I don’t know if it was the fact that each of them wrote books, and each of them considered themselves the top, you know, expert in the field? I mean, Paul Jokelson was the one who founded the Paperweight [Collectors] Association and basically subsidized it for all the early years. I think that was ’54, his first bulletin. And the same thing, it didn’t cost anything to join. He would subsidize the conventions, himself, but, you know, I mean say what you want. Yes, he did import weights, so it was self-serving somewhat. He had loved the whole thing. And Paul Jokelson came over here as a ‘war bride’ after the second World War. You know, he married an American nurse—and came over. But why? I don’t know. It just could be that each one wanted to be the center of attention in the paperweight universe. That would be my guess. But they certainly, you know, they were always cordial to each other in public. But they certainly would dig their nails in in private over each other. 

Permalink

Gallerist Alan Kaplan discusses Paul Hollister’s admiration of both paperweights and modern glass.

Playing0:22 Transcript
Alan Kaplan

Alan Kaplan discusses Paul Hollister’s admiration of both paperweights and modern glass. Oral history interview with Alan Kaplan by Barb Elam, conducted via telephone, April 25, 2019, Bard Graduate Center. Clip length: 00:22.

Alan Kaplan: Paul liked paperweights. He also liked modern glass. You know, so where Paul Jokelson basically was a paperweight person, Paul Hollister had a much more diversified interest, probably more because he was an artist, so he could appreciate things that weren’t lampwork encased. You know, he could appreciate a lot of the blown glass. And in the early years, I mean, it was really the early evolution of the studio glass movement.

Permalink