November 06, 2016

It's Print Week in New York!

For print aficionados, there is no more exciting time than the first week in November when the entire  community converges on New York City for what has become known as "Print Week".  Of course, the highlight of this occasion is The Print Fair that opened on Wednesday night at the Park Avenue Armory.  I had the good fortune to attend both the opening night party and again on Friday afternoon where I could take a little closer look at the wonderful examples of this magical medium that has captivated collectors since the invention of the press.


This year's celebration of the 25th anniversary of the IFPDA Print Fair is bittersweet as it marks the last time the fair will be held in the historic Seventh Regiment Armory.  In a push toward more performances and fewer exhibitions, the administration of the Armory have not renewed contracts with a number of long running shows thereby forcing them to seek new venues.

So it was with a lot of anticipation and a twinge of nostalgia that I perused the offerings of the 84 dealers from across the United States and around the world who presented marvelous examples of original prints from Old Master to Contemporary.  Some booths featured the work of only one or two artists, like a wall of Whistler etchings at Harris Schrank, New York, or the complete set of linocuts by Picasso entitled "Portrait de Jacqueline aux cheveux lisses", 1962, at John Szoke Gallery, also of New York.


Other galleries presented a wider selection of artists but from a specific period, like Jörg Maaß, Kunsthandel, Berlin, whose booth was dedicated to the German Expressionists.

Erich Heckel "Stehendes Kind (Standing Child)", 1910
Woodcut

And Helmut Rumbler, Kunsthandel, Frankfurt, who specializes in fine Old Master Prints like the "Rhinoceros", 1515, by Albrecht Dürer...

 
Many Contemporary art dealers presented works by American artists like Chris Burden's "The Atomic Alphabet", 1980, at Susan Sheehan Gallery, New York...
While some featured the work of Contemporary Japanese artists, like The Verne Collection, Cleveland...

Katsunori Hamanishi "Shower", 2016
Mezzotint

The Print Fair is famous for the depth and quality of prints on offer - old and new and in between.  Etchings, engravings, lithographs and woodcuts, American, European or Asian, colorful or black and white in all shapes and sizes - there is truly something for everyone.

I am very proud to be a member of the International Fine Print Dealer's Association and I am confident that next year's edition, to be held in the River Pavilion of the Javits Center on Manhattan's West Side, will continue the tradition of excellence for print collectors in the future.

No comments: