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ARTHAMPTONS Early Results: Art Sales Reviving; The Hamptons Still Attract Enthusiasts By Jack Karp ArtHamptons 2009 repeated the attendance level of 5,000 fairgoers compared to 2008, the inaugural year, with 68 galleries, up 33% compared to the number in ’08, showing $200 million in art. Post-show activity reported a month later shows sales of $8 to $10 million. “The robust business over the four-day event is a definite harbinger that art sales are finally reviving and stimulating,” said Rick Friedman, founder of ArtHamptons. “The fish were biting, not like in 2008, but well enough to eat well. It reinforces that a good picture at a good price will always sell.” While Peter Marcelle Gallery’s sale of an Andrew Wyeth landscape for $975,000 seems at this point to be the on-site show leader, Mr.Friedman expects other major sales to follow in post-show activity. Sculptor Hans Van deBovenkamp reported a large commission was secured. On site individual sales ranged from $10,000 to $100,000, most centering in the $30,00 to $60,000 range. Many galleries reported that total on-site sales wellexceeded $100,000 including Forum Gallery, Gallery Henoch, Waterhouse and Dodd Gallery, Throckmorton Fine Art, Gary Snyder/Project Space, and Eric Firestone Gallery.

White triangular sails punctuating thick olive water under crisp cerulean skies, the sun setting orange off in the distance. Vivid seascapes like these are often what come to mind when thinking of the Hamptons, a beautiful seaside playground where New Yorkers and the world’s elite go for a myriad of reasons. For many people the Hamptons evoke images of windswept seas lapping up against cool, sandy beaches. But, surprisingly, many of these breathtaking images can’t be seen outside the walls of the wealthy enclave’s multimillion-dollar homes, but on them. “The Hamptons have a century-long tradition as a world-famous marketplace for

Elliot Erwitt, Marilyn Monroe New York City, 1956, © Elliott Erwitt/Magnum Photos, Erwitt will be at ArtHamptons at the Hackelbury Fine Art gallery on Sunday, July 12, 12 to 2 p.m.

painting, art collecting, and art patronage,” says Hamptons resident and art collector Rick Friedman, founder/chairman of the ArtHamptons fair. “We currently have about 2,500 active painters living and working here.” “This is where the rich, famous, and big art collectors spend the summer,” Friedman says of the Hamptons. With all these celebrated artists and collectors, Freidman Steve Zaluski in his Humansphere mobile sculpture at ArtHamptons 2009 felt “we have everything except a major international fair.” Resnick, the usual suspects.” With over 80 So that is exactly what he set out important works amassed in four years, to remedy when he began ArtHamptons Friedman now has a major collection and one year ago. ArtHamptons, the second brings that same passion from his own edition of which was held July 10-12, 2009, collection to ArtHamptons. is the Hamptons’ first and only fine art fair Housed in four large, connected, spotlighting museum quality modern art. modular buildings, the fair hosts 64 nationally “In a sense, I am paying homage to the respected galleries, including New York’s Hamptons as a center for fine art by staging Forum Gallery, Tibor de Nagy, and Gallery ArtHamptons,” says Friedman, who lives in Henoch, as well as galleries from Toronto, Southampton and is himself a passionate Barcelona, and London. This year’s festival collector of post-war New York Abstract offered an eclectic mix of well-known Expressionists. “I felt it was a ‘can’t miss.’” masters — Larry Rivers, Donald Sultan, Jane Like the artists he collects, Friedman Freilicher, August Saint-Gaudens, Childe is excited and inspired by the beauty and Hassam and William Glackens — peppered electricity of this eastern end of Long Island with group and solo shows by younger, “I collect the artists who painted here in the emerging artists, like hyper realist painter 50s through the 70s – Pollock, Krasner, de Denis Peterson, participating in the fair for Kooning, Motherwell, Kline, Brooks, Rivers, the second time. Fine Art Magazine • Fall 2009 • 41


Larry Rivers Vocabulary Lesson (Polish) 1964-65 Courtesy of Tibor de Nagy Gallery, NY Brad Kunkle, Windhandle, Oil, Gold And Silver Leaf On Canvas, 51” x 32” 2009

Malcom T. Liepke, Sensual, 2009, Oil on canvas, 20” x 20”, 2009, Arcadia Gallery, NYC

“Last year, I was interviewed by a national art magazine and offered portfolio representation by a prestigious London gallery,” Peterson reports, “neither of whom I would have met were it not for the show.” Possibly even more important than this exposure, though, is the chance to get feedback from the audience viewing his work. “It helps me to be aware of how well the genre, style, and chosen series motif are communicating a particular visual statement to viewers,” Peterson says. “Last year’s show gave me a certain sense of direction…that has continued to influence my work to this day.” ArtHamptons also featured panel 42 • Fine Art Magazine • Fall 2009

Lillian Bassman, Barbara Mullen, Essex House C.1950’s Gelatin silver print, Peter Fetterman Gallery, Santa Monica, CA

discussions, visits to private art collections, and artists’ book signings as well as seminars on “What You Need to Know about Collecting Photography” and “Hamptons Bohemia: the Artist Playground From 1880 to Present.” Festival organizers gave lifetime achievement awards to painter Jane Wilson and legendary photographers Lillian Bassman and Elliott Erwitt. “The Opening Gala/Collectors Preview was pretty hot,” Friedman promises. “It’s one of the social and media highlights of the summer

Andrew Wyeth, Sheepskin, 1970, a Helga painting tempera on panel, 29” x 32” ($15,000,000) Courtesy Peter Marcelle Gallery, Southampton

season.” Friedman based that guarantee on the resounding success of the 2008 fair. In its


Winold Reiss (1886-1953), Observation Car, 1932 Oil on canvas, 66” x 68”, Provenance: Estate of the artist; Bernard Goldberg Fine Art, NY & East Hampton

inaugural year, approximately five thousand art lovers from around the country attended, generating a stunning $20 million in art sales. According to Friedman, “Not bad volume for a first-year fair. It’s a great time to buy important artworks,” he continues, “because primary and secondary market prices have adjusted and there are great treasures to be had at very fair prices — and you can enjoy them daily on your walls. Art is a lot more interesting and tangible now than your stock portfolio.” The success of this year’s fair is no shock to Friedman. “The booth space has sold out with an expanded floor plan and we have a waiting list,” he says. Several major galleries exhibited at ArtHamptons for the first time this summer, including DC Moore, Vered, Arcadia Gallery, Godel Fine Art, and Throckmorton. These newcomers joined returning galleries like Bernard Goldberg Fine Art, Grenning Gallery, June Kelly and London’s Waterhouse & Dodd. “We exhibited at the inaugural

Fernand Leger (1881-1955), Objets, Gouache, pen and ink on paper; Signed with monogram & dated 1932, 15.75” x 13” Waterhouse & Dodd / Fine Art Brokers, London, U.K.

Augustus Saint-Gaudens, Diana, originally modeled 1886; this cast 1985; Bronze with gilding, 110” x 59” x 22 ½”, Conner-Rosenkranz, New York

Jane Wilson, Early Heat, 1993, Oil on canvas, 70” x 70”, DC Moore Gallery, NYC

ArtHamptons in 2008 and we’re delighted to be coming back,” says Waterhouse & Dodd director Ray Waterhouse. “We made some sales last year and were also pleased with the number of terrific new contacts. I think the fair will become an established feature of summer in the Hamptons and will be a must-see for collectors.” Friedman is especially excited that “a wider spectrum of media... works on paper, more contemporary, more prints, more photography, art glass, objects d’art, and sculpture, both indoors and outdoors are in the show.” Fairgoers at ArtHamptons have a diversity of interests and are split in what they collect, he says. “I would say many invest in the masters from the 20th century. It is a big business here… and midcareer contemporary artists as well as Asian contemporary and contemporary photography also has a robust market. “I believe the right picture at the right price will always sell.”” “The masters will always sell here. Not only is it a solid investment, but it’s serious cocktail talk with bragging rights. I still expect a ton of sales in this affluent area,” and the results from 2009 prove him correct.

Peter Marcelle and two collectors, at ArtHamptons 2009, Peter Marcelle Gallery booth. Fine Art Magazine • Fall 2009 • 43


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