Newbury Street has long played host to most of Boston's big-name commercial galleries. Tucked away in small spaces above street level, oftentimes side by side or on top of one another, the Newbury art galleries exude an exclusivity and prestige matched only by the posh ambiance of the clothing boutiques below them. All along Newbury Street, a short walk through an easy-to-miss door and then up a few flights can prove rewarding for both the collector and the curious student. An eclectic and intriguing mix of contemporary painting, drawing and photography are hung on the immaculate white walls of such renowned galleries as Barbara Krakow and Howard Yezerski--and despite a slight emphasis on representational painting, almost all claim to showcase works of a variety of styles, media and regional origin.

Boston often struggles to shed its image of musty, small-town conservatism and to establish itself as a forerunner in the production and exhibition of cutting-edge contemporary work. With regard to the local art market, Katie Block of Miller Block Gallery at 14 Newbury St. laments that the work of a contemporary art gallery director in Boston is much harder than it is elsewhere, professing that Boston art collectors tend toward the traditional side, with a predilection for the strictly representational and less openness toward abstract and conceptual art.

But Judy Ann Goldman, whose gallery is across the hall, is not so willing to make such generalizations, pointing out that tastes are as divergent as styles of art. Howard Yezerski, next door to both Goldman and Miller Block, has a rather positive outlook on the whole: He points to the large number of universities and art schools in Boston as a special resource that other cities simply do not possess. To Yezerski, at least, not only is gallery space more easily and more cheaply had in Boston, but its crowds of university students lend Boston an unusual, and indeed incomparable, atmosphere for art production and reception. He notes, in addition, the strong presence of innovative curators at local university galleries, such as the List Center at MIT and the Rose Art Museum at Brandeis.

All said, Boston is a city for all types of art and looks to do even better in the future, if the upswing in Boston's economy is any indication. Despite its size, a closer inspection of the Boston art scene invites no unfavorable comparisons--and deservedly so.