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Seattle, August 9, 2016 — The second edition of the Seattle Art Fair, presented by AIG, and co-produced by Vulcan Inc. and Art Market Productions, closed on Sunday, August 7, 2016, with successful results reported by collectors, dealers, artists, participants, and visitors. In its second year, the fair, which ran from August 4-7, 2016, expanded its community engagement through the addition of Artistic Director Laura Fried and a diverse lineup of Projects and Talks that she organized—installations, performances, panels, and other events both at the fair and throughout the city of Seattle. Some 18,000 visitors attended the fair in 2016, with work presented by 84 local, national, and international galleries.

Max Fishko, Fair Director, commented, “Seattle Art Fair’s second edition welcomed an incredible group of collectors from across the country, and our 84 exhibiting galleries engaged this audience with their top-tier presentations of modern and contemporary art—once again making it clear that the Seattle Art Fair is a destination and a can’t-miss event on the art world calendar.”

Said Laura Fried, the Fair’s Artistic Director, “The response to the Projects and Talks program was overwhelming. I am so moved by the level of engagement in this community, and the diverse and enthusiastic audiences that participated. We are grateful to the artists and speakers for their inspiring contributions and for pouring so much of themselves into this endeavor.”

Michael Rosenfeld of Michael Rosenfeld Gallery (New York) said: “The Seattle community has a very different vibe from any other city where I’ve participated in an art fair. There is a real passion for the art, a genuine interest, and they are not only interested in learning about the work of an artist, they are taking the next step and buying it. In the collectors I’ve met here, I sense a real camaraderie, they are supportive of each other, and they have created an upbeat collecting community.”

Kaikai Kiki Gallery (Tokyo / New York), run by artist Takashi Murakami, added, “It was a very sophisticated and discerning crowd, which was both challenging and rewarding. Word had definitely gotten out around Seattle about the fair and there was a palpable sense of pride among local collectors.”

Jane Beebe of PDX CONTEMPORARY ART (Portland, Oregon) explained, “We heard quite universally how beautiful the fair looked with the wide aisles and the airiness—people could breathe. The word is out, and the fair was very well attended, especially this year. Visitors were knowledgeable about art and knew what they were seeing. With the hiring of Laura Fried as Artistic Director, the fair showed that commerce and raising the bar are not mutually exclusive.”

Select sales highlights:
Abmeyer + Wood (Seattle), sold work by Kymia Nawabi.
Adams and Ollman (Portland, Oregon) sold work by Ellen Lesperance.
Allan Stone Projects (New York) sold works by Alfred Leslie, Wayne Nowack, and Wayne Thiebaud.
David Benrimon Fine Art (New York) sold work by Ai Weiwei.
David Zwirner (New York) sold work by Fred Sandback, and multiple works by R. Crumb, Wolfgang Tillmans, and Al Taylor. A Yayoi Kusama painting that was made by the artist specifically for the fair sold to a local collector..
Forum Gallery (New York) sold work by Alan Magee.
Greg Kucera Gallery (Seattle) sold a sculpture by Deborah Butterfield for $135,000 and a work by Marie Watt for $40,000, among over a dozen other works sold.
Koki Arts (Tokyo) sold work by Ryoichi Nakamura.
Marlborough Gallery (New York) sold work by Dale Chihuly.
Michael Rosenfeld Gallery (New York) sold works by a wide range of artists including Claire Falkenstein and Alma Thomas.
Paul Kasmin Gallery (New York) sold photographs by Robert Polidori for approximately $30,000 each.
Pace (New York, London, Beijing, Palo Alto) sold work by teamLab—who also presented an interactive installation as part of the Seattle Art Fair’s Projects.
PDX CONTEMPORARAY ART (Portland, Oregon) sold work by Adam Sorenson for $25,000, and Jeffry Mitchell furniture and ceramics for $8,000 per work. Mitchell also had an installation featured among the Seattle Art Fair Projects. PDX sold other works by Justin L’Amie, D.E. May, Kristen Miller, Jenene Nagy, and Joe Rudko.
Peter Mendenhall Gallery (Los Angeles) sold work by Daniel Douke.
Petzel (New York) sold work on paper by Hiroki Tsukuda.
Rebecca Hossack Art Gallery (London) sold works by Rose Blake, Ross Bonfanti, Rebecca Jewel, Barbara MacFarlane, Phil Shaw, and Rob Tucker, in prices ranging from $400 to $20,000.
Woodside / Braseth Gallery (Seattle) sold work by Brandon Zebold.

The fair kicked off with the Beneficiary Preview on August 4, raising over $100,000 for the Seattle Art Museum (SAM), followed by the official Opening Night Preview. Notable guests included Rich and Sarah Barton, Cliff Burrows, Dale Chihuly, Adrian Hanauer, Marieluise Hessel, Christina Lockwood, David Morehouse, Jessica Morgan, Takashi Murakami, Beth Rudin DeWoody, Ginny Ruffner, Matthew Thompson, and many others.

Seattle Art Fair visitors enjoyed the Olson Kundig-designed Windermere VIP lounge. The design, entitled Thundercloud, blurred the physical boundaries between indoor and outdoor, while exploring the interplay of static and dynamic elements. Led by Olson Kundig principal/owner Kevin Kudo-King and associate architect Jerry Garcia, the design transported guests from the bustling fair area to a space for gathering, reflecting, and recharging. The hospitality area of the VIP lounge featured a light installation of abstracted foliage by Etta Lilienthal, contrasted by a static backdrop of towering, dark fabric. From the hospitality area of the lounge, guests moved into a sculptural seating area sited within a tranquil grove of Thundercloud Plum trees. Visitors to the Windermere VIP lounge enjoyed culinary offerings from renowned Seattle chef Ethan Stowell, the Official Chef Partner of the Seattle Art Fair.

Official Online Partner
Artsy, the leading resource for learning about and collecting art, renewed its partnership with the Seattle Art Fair for 2016. Browse artworks, artists and exhibitors from the fair online at artsy.net/seattle-art-fair-2016. Place sales inquiries directly with galleries, follow artists for future updates, and explore editorial coverage of the fair.

Cultural Partners
For the full list of Seattle Art Fair 2016 Cultural Partners visit seattleartfair.com/cultural-partners.

Fair Sponsors
For the full list of Seattle Art Fair 2016 Sponsors visit http://seattleartfair.com/sponsors/.

Seattle Art Fair
Seattle Art Fair was founded by Paul G. Allen as a unique and innovative art experience showcasing the vibrant culture and diversity of the Pacific Northwest. In addition to being a destination for new and established collectors and international art patrons, the fair shines a light on Seattle’s thriving art scene. Now in its second year, the fair features local, regional, and international art galleries presenting top-tier modern and contemporary art.

The Seattle Art Fair is produced by Paul G. Allen’s Vulcan Inc. and Art Market Productions.

For more information, and a full list of galleries that participated, visit: seattleartfair.com.

Join the conversation on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook by following @SeattleArtFair and using the hashtag #SeattleArtFair when posting.