C.G. Rein Galleries

Clayton G. Rein (1917-2016) was a real estate developer, property manager, and art collector based in the Twin Cities.  He opened several art galleries in Minnesota and also in Arizona, where he spent time in the winter.  His galleries specialized in modern and contemporary art, and he also created a corporate rental program that provided artwork for display in local offices buildings.

Rein came from a modest background.  As a teenager during the Great Depression, he helped his father sell paper, rags, and other odds and ends.  He served as a marine during WWII, and then returned to Minnesota after the war.  He began buying and selling property, and eventually built and owned several apartment buildings in the Twin Cities.  He invested in commercial properties as well, including the art galleries.  Rein’s interest in art was personal, and his success in real estate allowed him to amass his own collection of artwork.  He collected paintings and prints by Western artists, and Asian art as well.  His Asian collection included a variety of objects, such as carved jades and other precious stones, porcelains, lacquerware, furniture, and scroll paintings.  His personal collection was auctioned off and dispersed after his death.  His real estate businesses and galleries may remain open today under different ownership.

Clayton Rein was an advocate for providing quality housing for all income levels in the Twin Cities, and had a strong belief in the power of art to enrich those spaces.

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