San Francisco 49ers’ Vernon Davis is also an art gallery owner

As one of the leading tight ends in the National Football League, the San Francisco 49ers’ Vernon Davis will be one to watch during Sunday’s Super Bowl game against the Baltimore Ravens.

Last month, the 28-year-old Davis added another responsibility to his resume: art gallery owner. The football player opened a space called Gallery 85 in San Jose. The gallery is expected to show art by Davis as well as emerging artists.

The gallery’s opening in December served as a fundraiser for the Vernon Davis Foundation for the Arts, which helps fund arts education and art appreciation for at-risk youth. The foundation also awards college art school scholarships for select youths from low-income communities.

Gallery 85 is in San Jose’s Santana Row, a fashionable retail and residential part of the city. The opening featured art by a recent recipient of the Vernon Davis Visual Arts Scholarship Fund.

Why “Gallery 85”? That’s the number on Davis’ football jersey. The athlete has long had a passion for art, and majored in studio art while studying at the University of Maryland.

Sunday’s Super Bowl game in New Orleans will be broadcast live on CBS, with an expected kick-off time of 3:30 p.m. PST.

ALSO:

Football and art collide at LACMA

Indianapolis art galleries reach out to Super Bowl fans

Entertainment and pro football executive Steve Tisch joins LACMA’s board of trustees