Barridoff Galleries was established in the mid 1970s by Annette and Rob Elowitch in both their home towns of Portland, Maine. It was the first auction house in Maine to specialize in the auction of fine art. It is the only auction house in Maine to offer only works of art at two auctions a year which are held in April and October. The auctions, which feature Old Masters, American, European, Russian, Asian, Modernist and contemporary work, are the Galleries only business. In that regard, it was the forerunner to regional auction houses in America and probably throughout the world. Unusually extensive stories about the Galleries owners and auctions have been featured on every national news network in a strong, positive way with unusually in depth stories on the Today Show on NBC, the Osgood File on CBS, and, with an extensive 15 minute story, on the the News Hour on PBS. Barridoff Galleries, which sells to major museums and important collectors throughout the world, responds to potential consignors within 24 hours and to auction buyers usually even sooner with accurate condition reports and answers to any questions regarding the consignment or sale of art. Art is both a passion and a business at Barridoff Galleries, a combination that makes buying and selling it an incomparable experience for everyone. The feature length movie about Barridoff and the Elowitches titled "Canvasman" has been telecast on public television in prime time and been an official selection at many important film festivals. (The DVD is available at Amazon.com.) The live previews and auctions are held at Abromson Center, University of Southern, Maine, 88 Bedford Street, Portland, Maine. The art school has played a particularly integral part in the rebirth of Longfellows "beautiful city..seated by the sea." The Galleries donates a small percentage of every auction to the School.