FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Distelheim Gallery™ Launches April 30th Art Lovers a  Modern, Multi-Dimensional Platform That Builds On Dr. Irving  Distelheim’s Cultural Legacy  

Distelheim’s daughter reviving her father’s vision with new digital platform  and gallery space that feature bold abstract art by artist Jefferey Cornett  

CHICAGO – April 30, 2026 – Chicago’s renowned and vibrant art world is welcoming a visionary,  modern gallery that is steeped in rich cultural history and tradition. The Distelheim Gallery™,  which launches April 21, is a multi-dimensional, digital-first platform that is reviving and building  upon the legacy of Dr. Irving Distelheim and his famed Distelheim Galleries, which he  established on Chicago’s Oak Street in the late 1960s. The new Distelheim Gallery follows a  story-centric, single-artist model, featuring large-format, mixed media works by artist and  creative strategist Jefferey Cornett.  

The Distelheim Gallery carries Dr. Distelheim’s vision forward under the leadership of his  daughter, Lisa Distelheim Barron, an award-winning journalist, and her partner, Cornett, who is  driven by a profound sense of lived urgency in the wake of a cancer diagnosis. Cornett says he  strives to build his own legacy through his bold art and the creation of a gallery that combines  the warmth and intimacy of a legacy art space with the accessibility of an accessible digital-first  platform.  

Customers can learn about and purchase art on the compelling digital platform,  thedistelheimgallery.com, and can also make an appointment to visit the new gallery space and  Cornett’s studio, located in the East Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago.  

Dr. Distelheim passed away in 2018, just shy of his 100th birthday. His gallery had been closed  for years by then, but its building lived on as a reminder of its status as a cultural icon in  Chicago and the art world. But when the building was slated to be torn down in 2026, Distelheim  Barron says she saw the demolition as erasing her father’s legacy and an important part of  Chicago history. So she and Cornett decided to reimagine the Distelheim vision and carry it into  a new era.  

“The gallery that once resided within brick and mortar in a bustling Chicago neighborhood now  lives dually as a physical space and as a digital platform that honors the Oak Street-born  Distelheim tradition, while bringing the modern advantages of an online presence,” Distelheim  Barron says. “Jefferey’s vibrant creations and the narrative approach of the new gallery invite  collectors of all levels to experience art in a personal and powerful way.”  

The Distelheim Gallery is launching with an emotional and intense Cornett collection called  Orange & Black, with subsequent collections The Blue Room and The American Spirit  Collection to be featured in the coming months. “Orange & Black is vibrant abstract art that  delves into the dynamic interplay between these contrasting colors,” Cornett says. “The 

powerful color pairing evokes intense contrasts, symbolism and emotional response.” He adds  that the works pay tribute to the intellectual heritage of Princeton University, Distelheim Barron’s  alma mater, by employing the institution’s storied palette of orange and black.  

All Distelheim Gallery pieces are exclusive Cornett creations and are thoughtfully curated with a  narrative approach, with the artist providing his own insight on each piece, comparisons to other  artists, valuation information and more. Cornett says there are multiple pieces and formats  offered at a variety of price points so that a wide variety of art lovers can participate at their own  level of comfort and investment. The available pieces include museum-quality originals, limited  editions, beautifully boxed tabletop sets, and soon to include wearable art and more.  

In addition to offering the online platform and gallery/studio, Distelheim Barron and Cornett plan  to hold occasional pop-up sales in Chicago and other markets, to attract collectors and build  awareness of the Cornett collections and the gallery.  

Target market segments for The Distelheim Gallery include individual buyers ranging from entry level to sophisticated collectors; cultural institutions; and doctors, corporate offices, hotels and  others looking to purchase bold, comfortable art to make their spaces more sophisticated and  welcoming.  

With the Distelheim Gallery’s rich legacy, combined with its modern hybrid model, established  collectors can find exclusivity and an opportunity to diversify their acquisitions, while new buyers  can feel inspired and excited rather than intimidated, according to Distelheim Barron. “We look  forward to meeting customers where they are, providing approachable entry points along with  rarity and provenance and removing barriers between artist and audience for all.”  

About The Distelheim Gallery  

The Distelheim Gallery™ is a multi-dimensional platform that fosters a deep connection  between people and contemporary art, reviving and building upon the rich cultural and historical  legacy of Dr. Irving Distelheim and the famed gallery he established on Chicago’s Oak Street in  the late 1960s, Distelheim Galleries, The new Gallery carries his vision forward under the  leadership of his daughter, Lisa Distelheim Barron, an award winning journalist, and her partner,  artist and creative strategist, Jefferey Cornett. The planned demolition in 2026 of the building  that was once home to Distelheim Galleries this spring manifested into a re-imagination of the  initial business as The Distelheim Gallery™.  

It differentiates itself by following a single-artist, studio-led, story-centric model, featuring large format mixed media works and versioning of each of those by Cornett. Driven by a profound  sense of lived urgency in the wake of a cancer diagnosis, Cornett is building his own lasting  legacy through his bold and vibrant art and the creation of a modern Gallery that takes a  narrative approach, inviting collectors of all levels to experience art in a personal and powerful  way. For more information, visit: www.thedistelheimgallery.com.  

About Lisa Distelheim Barron  

Lisa Distelheim Barron is an award-winning broadcast journalist whose career spans decades  and continents. Known for her sharp investigative instincts and unwavering commitment to truth,  she has covered war zones, political upheavals, natural disasters, global economic summits and  cultural turning points as a reporter for major television networks including CNN, CNBC, and  CBS News. Her international reporting has earned her both Gracie and Edward R. Murrow 

Awards. Barron graduated from Princeton University with a B.A. in international relations and  earned a Master’s in politics from the London School of Economics, which she attended as a  Marshall Scholar. She is currently a Chicago based producer at Weigel Broadcasting, a national  leader in original broadcast entertainment and factual programming, where she has worked on  the history-driven show “Through the Decades,” hosted by legendary journalist and news  anchor Bill Kurtis and “Collector’s Call,” hosted by Lisa Whelchel of “The Facts of /Life.” 

About Jefferey Cornett  

Jefferey Cornett is a Chicago-based multidisciplinary creative executive with a career  spanning more than four decades across art, music, media and public relations. Originally  from the Kansas City metropolitan area and formally educated at the University of Kansas,  Cornett’s early training laid the foundation for a multidisciplinary career spanning music, media  and visual art, one that now converges in a deeply personal artistic practice. As creative director  and partner of The Distelheim Gallery, he is the artist behind its inaugural collections – The  Orange & Black Collection, The Blue Room Collection and The American Spirit Collection. His  life’s work has been defined by continual reinvention and a commitment to authorship and  meaning. His current work as an artist is marked by bold color, geometric abstraction and  layered texture.  

A stage four cancer diagnosis gave Cornett a new urgency and a desire to make his legacy  matter through creativity and art. This included the development and writing of FC: Because  There Is No Plan B, a storytelling and advocacy platform. Through his art, writing and the  reimagining of The Distelheim Gallery as a narrative-driven. cultural house, Cornett’s work  serves as a living archive that captures resilience, place and the act of creating when time is no  longer abstract. He has won a number of awards for his charitable work with The American  Cancer Society, Special Olympics, Autism Speaks, YWCA and MDA.  

About Dr. Irving Distelheim & Distelheim Galleries  

Dr. Irving Distelheim, a renowned Chicago dermatologist, was born on the West side of  Chicago, the youngest son of Eastern European immigrants. He worked his way through  college and the University of Illinois Medical School. After graduation in 1943, Dr. Distelheim  enlisted in the Army and was deployed to France as an officer in the Medical Corps; he was  later awarded four distinguished medals for his service. After the war, while awaiting  redeployment back to the U.S., Dr. Distelheim was stationed at a field hospital outside Paris,  where he explored museums and developed a penchant for French Postimpressionist art. When he returned home, Dr. Distelheim set up his own medical practice in Chicago.  

 He often spent days off visiting art galleries, and by the early 1960s had become increasingly  involved in the Chicago art world. He decided to open his own gallery, with a focus on the  School of Paris and American contemporary painters and sculptors. He signed on both local  artists and artists in Paris, and in TK opened the doors to the Distelheim Galleries at 113 East  Oak Street. It soon began to play a prominent role in the development of the city’s modern art  scene, and Dr. Distelheim was selected as a member of the Chicago Art Dealers Association,  

He believed the art gallery had a dual responsibility to give exposure and a forum for expression to artistic talent – be it well known or not – , and to reach out to the community to stimulate art  appreciation in general. 

He was determined to foster Chicago’s development as a leading art center. In 1968, Dr.  Distelheim helmed an elaborate renovation of a Victorian era building at 67 East Oak Street,  creating an innovative, air-conditioned, five-story art gallery space. Distelheim Galleries  became the first of several galleries to move in. 

For the next two decades, Distelheim Galleries featured well-established as well as up and  coming contemporary artists from across the country and from overseas.  

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