The Profound Legacy of Claggett/Rey Gallery
/Covered Bridge | Winter + Spring 2024–25
By Kimberly Nicoletti
Bill and Maggie Rey, owners of Claggett/Rey Gallery, live and breathe art. In addition to representing some of the most renowned artists in North America, they specialize in rare acquisitions and estate-art consultations.
Bill Rey originally partnered with Ray and Sally Duncan, using Sally’s maiden name, Claggett, to start the collaborative gallery in 1989; the Reys fully took over about six years ago, after Ray Duncan passed. Maggie Rey married Bill Rey 25 years ago; they met when he managed her sister’s art career.
The Reys both grew up with parents who appreciated art. Bill Rey stepped into the art world professionally when John and Patti Cogswell offered him a summer job at their gallery in 1983. The summer gig extended into winter and then into another summer as Bill Rey continued to take seminars and art classes.
“It’s a life of art. We never turn it off,” Bill Rey says. “You can never know enough. We’re very involved with a lot of galleries and museum friends. We’re deep in it.”
Their dedication to art stems from the peace and happiness it brings to people’s lives — theirs included.
“There’s a resonate energy in gallery art that really changes your cellular structure,” he says. “It adds an amazing joy to your life.”
They view art as a “visual diary,” ranging from pieces collected through travel to libraries of rare books.
“Everyone collects something, basically, whether it’s rocks or shoes,” he says. “We’re selling unique works of art and enhancing people’s lives.”
They educate people not just about quality art but also about its variety.
“We put things in front of them that they may not know they like,” Maggie Rey says. “Part of our job is to be conduits and educate people about how to light art, how to place it and how to resell it if needed.”
In fact, the estate planning side of their expertise is becoming more popular, and necessary, as younger generations generally show less interest in collecting things, including art, unless they feel an emotional attachment to it. As older art aficionados age, downsize or pass away, some find themselves possessing “heirlooms without an heir,” Bill Rey says. The Reys keep a close pulse on art values, which constantly rise and fall, and advise clients on how to best liquidate their collections or find the best donation venue.
“It relieves a lot of stress for a lot of people because when they get ready to sell an estate, sometimes they have hundreds of pieces. Some are very valuable, and some have heart value. We try to assist them — and we give a lot of free advice,” he says good-naturedly.
When clients want to collect fine art, they encourage them to choose pieces they like, rather than ones they think will be a good investment.
While the gallery has always specialized in art depicting the American West, they curate and source a variety of styles.
“Our knowledge is so deep that we can go far and wide. We’re fairly traditional here, but we can source glass, photography or contemporary art and offer some of the greatest possibilities,” he says.
Their own homes in the Valley and in Loveland, Colorado, house art that range from pieces completed a few weeks ago to works that are 125 years old and include landscapes, still-lives, sculptures and nudes. They share a similar aesthetic eye, so they can search a gallery separately and return liking the same thing, Maggie Rey says.
“Maggie has a great art eye and business sense. It’s wonderful to know that your partner is equally passionate about life and family and art and the Vail Valley,” Bill Rey says.
They also share the value of truly befriending both artists and clients and even go so far as hosting dinners for collectors and artists to get to know each other.
“We love to be a part of artists’ lives and visit their studios and see the creative environment they surround themselves in. Artists are very vulnerable because they put their feelings into their art,” Maggie Rey says. “It’s just really fun to be around really creative people.”
They fully support their artists; rather than pigeonholing their creativity, they strive to inspire it.
“If they’re passionate about it, we’ll do our darndest to try to connect it with the public,” Bill Rey says. “What we try to be is very open-minded in the gallery.”
In 2020, they moved Claggett/ Rey Gallery from Vail to Edwards, and though they miss seeing their business colleagues every day in Vail Village, they appreciate their newer location, due to the higher ceilings, more accessible parking and overall location. They view Edwards, between East Vail and Gypsum, as the “heart of the Valley.”
Even after 40-plus years in the business — and in the Valley — they remain passionate about the setting, the community and the art world, and they love sharing their expertise.
“We don’t want to decorate people’s lives; we want to enhance their setting,” Bill Rey says.