Cocco and Salem Gallery

Cocco and Salem Gallery sits at 1111 Duval Street, further down the road from the busiest bar heavy blocks, in the stretch of Duval that runs closer to the Southernmost Point. According to local shopping guides, the gallery traces its roots back to 1981, which puts it among the longer running art businesses on a street where storefronts often change hands. It shows contemporary original paintings that range from abstract expressionism to photorealism, giving it a broader stylistic range than some of the more narrowly focused single artist galleries nearby.

The gallery represents a group of Key West based artists, including Jim Salem, whose name forms half of the gallery’s own title, along with Marylene Proner, Judith Zabar, and Henry Peter. Having local artists as the backbone of the collection ties the gallery to Key West’s resident art community rather than presenting work shipped in from elsewhere, which is a distinction that matters to visitors specifically looking to support island based artists rather than buying mass produced tropical prints.

Because the gallery spans such a wide range of styles under one roof, from bold abstract work to more meticulously rendered photorealistic pieces, it tends to appeal to a broad cross section of art buyers rather than a single type of collector. That range also means a visit here can take longer than a quick glance, since the walls are not organized around one consistent theme the way a wildlife photography gallery or a music memorabilia gallery might be.

The gallery’s position on the 1100 block of Duval Street puts it near several other art stops covered in this directory, including Alan S. Maltz Gallery and Key West Pottery, both within a short walk. That makes the southern end of Duval Street, closer to the Southernmost Point than to Mallory Square, a worthwhile detour for gallery focused visitors who might otherwise spend all their time in the denser cluster of shops further north.

Given its four plus decades in Key West, Cocco and Salem Gallery has had time to build relationships with its represented artists and a regular clientele of return visitors who check in on new work each time they visit the island. As with several of the smaller, artist driven galleries in this directory, specific current hours were not independently confirmed, so visitors planning a special trip to see particular artists’ work should call ahead or check with the gallery directly before arriving, particularly outside of the busier winter tourist season when hours at smaller galleries can shift.