The second edition of Art Southampton, presented by Art Miami, drew to a close on Monday, July 29, and guests and exhibitors alike seemed to agree that it was a massive success. The spacious 100,000-square-foot pavilion hosted 16,300 international collectors and art enthusiasts over the course of its five-day run, and more than 90 exhibitors—nearly twice as many as the fair’s 2012 debut—hailed from 13 countries in the Americas, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.
“There’s a very impressive variety of dealers with some really major works by top names,” said Audrey Gruss, a discerning, prominent collector with her husband Martin Gruss. “A fair like this belongs in the Hamptons. It’s the only one on this level.”
Blue-chip London gallery Osborne Samuel sold Lynn Chadwick’s sculpture “Sitting Figures in Robes I” for around $80,000 and Sean Henry’s sculpture of a pair of pugilists for $60,000. Top-notch New York dealer James Goodman placed a print by Frank Stella listed at $30,000 and a painting by abstract art pioneer Giorgio Cavallon for close to $50,000. Two sculptures by Venezuelan abstractionist Jesus Rafael Soto went for $80,000 and $28,000 at Miami-based Ascaso Gallery.
Photo: Oliver Peterson
Heiner Meyer’s metallic Donald Duck sculpture that gleamed beside the VIP lounge at Gallery Terminus sold for $113,000, plus two of his pool paintings for $11,000 and $6,000. The Munich-based heavyweight has requested twice as large a booth for next year, among numerous exhibitors who are already committing to return for Art Southampton’s third edition in 2014.
Some were still closing deals on important works as the fair ended on Monday, including a Robert Motherwell that Jerald Melberg parted with for $50,000 while crating paintings to ship to his gallery in Charlotte, North Carolina. Stephan Keszler, whose gallery is mere blocks from the fair, parted with a major piece by the notorious graffiti artist Banksy for multiple six figures. Hollis Taggert confirmed two more transactions once back on Madison Avenue, for a total take of $150,000, including two oil paintings from Theodoros Stamos’ early-1980s “Infinity Field” period and a large work on paper by California Abstract Expressionist Sam Francis for over $50,000.
“There is incredible turnout and very high-quality work by all exhibiting galleries,” Upper East Side gallerist Asher Edelman raved. “We are very pleased to be a part of this exceptional fair.” EdelmanArts sold two macro still life photographs of vivid flowers by Danish artist Torkil Gudnason, who now lives in New York and is best known for his fashion photography, in the range of $45,000 to $75,000.
The destination fair pulled in collectors from East Hampton and Bridgehampton as well as Manhattan and Connecticut throughout its five-day run. Among those who converged in Southampton were Wilbur and Hilary Geary Ross; Parrish Art Museum President H. Peter Haveles, Jr. and his wife Elizabeth; financiers Stanford Warshawsky and his son in-law Matthew Mark; Ziel and Helene Feldman; David and Simone Levinson; and George and Joan Hornig, who have stocked a 28,000-square-foot barn in Water Mill with important pieces. Also adding luster to the aisles: Stanley Cohen; Vivian Horan; Patricia Birch; Emma Torres; Rafael Herman; Sharon Bush; Cheri Kaufman; and financier Jay Sugarman, whose Gin Lane home is filled with contemporary art.
New York dealer Eli Klein was “very impressed with the venue and attendance.” His Chinese artists were a big hit, scoring “terrific sales with preexisting clients and new collectors.”
Art Southampton opened in dramatic fashion with a VIP Preview reception on Thursday, July 25, that over the course of the evening attracted more than 4,200 collectors, socialites, art advisors, artists and supporters of the Southampton Hospital. The hospital was the beneficiary of the evening’s proceeds as well as many exhibitors’ pledges of a portion of sales from selected works throughout the fair’s run. Word of mouth spread quickly among the Hamptons cognoscenti and the New York media about the world-class contemporary art in an equally elegant setting.
GRAFF Diamonds set the opulent tone at the entrance with a trio of towering models whose sparkling gems were set off by designer evening gowns; a series of display cases at the fair’s core brought more of their precious jewels to eye level for closer inspection. Maserati North America showcased the cutting-edge automotive artistry of their latest high-caliber automobiles, the Ghibli sports sedan and the all-new full-sized Quattroporte.
VIPs could choose from a range of complimentary libations: A Perrier-Jouët champagne bar sidled up to the Maserati sportscar parked just beyond the pavilion; specialty cocktails mixed with Bootlegger NY Vodka held the center; and Jay Z’s signature D’USSE Cognac brought up the rear. CRUSH wines and VOSS Artesian water were served in the VIP lounge, where the Harvard Business School Club of New York gathered for cocktails during the preview. Brown Harris Stevens set up an intimate seating area at the lounge’s edge where collectors could contemplate real estate to provide a fitting backdrop for their new acquisitions. Endless hors d’oeuvres were circulated by the Southampton Social Club, which catered the café that was bustling once the fair opened to the public the following day.
Art Southampton Director and Partner Nick Korniloff and Pamela Cohen, Director of Partnerships and VIP Relations, greeted community partners and sponsors including: Southampton Mayor Mark Epley; Henri Barguirdjian, President and CEO of GRAFF Diamonds; Robert Chaloner, President and CEO of Southampton Hospital; Steven Bernstein, President of the Southampton Hospital Foundation; and David Kratz, President of the New York Academy of Art, who called the fair “a well-run, impressive visual extravaganza.” Jean Shafiroff, chair of the hospital’s upcoming gala, brought artist Ike Ude to the reception and returned multiple times with more friends and family.
Pamela Cohen, Nick Korniloff, Henri Barguirdjian, Steve Bernstein, Bob Chaloner, Mayor Mark Epley, Brenda Simmons
Other international collectors included Sara Herbert Galloway and Barry Klarberg, Rod and Judy Gilbert, Dr. Frank and Myra Weiser, Rolf Heitmeyer, Rome and Lisa Arnold, Michael Wudyka, Robert Chaloner, Steven Bernstein, former Ambassador Earle I. Mack and his wife Carol; Karl Emil Willers, newly appointed head of the Nassau Country Museum of Art; and Theodore and Ruth Baum, who opened their nearby estate to members of the Whitney Contemporaries, Museum of Modern Art Junior Associates and Guggenheim Museum’s Young Collectors Council during a day trip organized by Hyperallergic on Saturday. Patrick McMullan snapped the likes of famed model and Richard Avedon muse China Machado and playwright Joe Pintauro.
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