Jackson Hole Fine Art Fair (JHFAF) closed its first edition on Sunday, September 15, 2019, with strong sales and high attendance. Over the four-day event, JHFAF reports about 2,000 visitors with $2 million in sales. JHFAF brought out some of Jackson Hole’s most prominent locals, as well as new visitors, all excited to see the museum-quality fair presented within Jackson Hole’s thriving arts community.
The fair presented 50 exhibitors who brought works that they felt matched the personal aesthetics of the Jackson Hole community. Works ranged in genre and price from world-renowned artists like Maynard Dixon, Ed Mell, Billy Schenck, Eanger Irving Couse, Thomas Hart Benton, Andy Warhol, Alexander Calder, Ed Ruscha and Sam Francis.
Fair Director Rick Friedman said, “Because JHFAF was the first international fine art fair in town, I think both collectors and exhibitors did not know what to expect. I’m so happy to report that all attendees I spoke to said it was far beyond their expectations. We heard the repeated comments, ‘loved it, fantastic, and terrific’ by fairgoers as they left the fair. We produced a multi-genre fair, with works within the Contemporary, Modern, Native American and Wildlife genres, with many of the early to mid 20th century pieces finding new homes. I see this as a breakthrough event that presented world-class and museum quality offerings across all of our showcased genres and I think the sales prove that. It was the wealthiest collectors as a percentage of the attendance of any of my fairs ever, over 10 years. ”
Exhibitors reported strong sales with Redfern Gallery, Nieto Fine Art, Mark Sublette Medicine Man Gallery, Montana Trails and Mongerson Gallery reporting mostly sold out booths.
Throughout the weekend, guests were treated to special programs and events including artist Q&A’s with Barbara Van Cleve, Donald Martiny, Larry Pirnie and Sarah Winkler. During the fair, JHFAF also produced a silent auction, which raised money for its institutional partner, The National Museum of Wildlife Art.
JHFAF presented several awards throughout the weekend including the 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award to the late John Nieto and the 2019 Art Collectors of the Year Award to Anne Phillip, the 2019 Sculptor of the Year award to Bart Walter and the Contemporary Artist of the Year award to Paul Villinski. Quotes from Galleries:
Local dealer, Miriam Diehl of Diehl Gallery said, “It’s been incredibly exciting to see an art fair of this caliber in Jackson Hole. It’s been wonderful to have so many like-minded dealers and the camaraderie among them has been amazing and encouraging. It’s been tremendously successful for us and we look forward to the second edition.”
John Nieto Gallery who was awarded the 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award for the late John Nieto said, “The visitors have been very quality. They know the work and the artist’s history. We’ve even had a lot of collectors who own Nieto’s work come by. There have been many great conversations about art.”
Rey Redfern of Redfern Gallery said, “The show has been much more than I expected. I’ve met a lot of people and I’ve sold a lot of paintings. They’ve been paintings I’ve had tucked away for a long time, but they’re high quality and that’s why they sold.”
Brenda Linscott from Endeavor Fine Art said, “We had a chance to bond with our space and develop a sampling of five of our artists who we’ve worked with for many years. It’s been so nice for us to see our artists in a visual conversation with other artists at the fair. To walk through the show and see what everyone else brought has been really incredible too. There really is room for everyone.”
Thomas Paul of Thomas Paul Fine Art said, “JHFAF did a great job putting this fair together with such an excellent variety of artists on display. It was so nice to see such a powerful exhibition of contemporary art brought to Jackson Hole.”
2019 Galleries: 917 Fine Arts (Miami Beach), Abend Gallery (Denver), Addison Rowe Fine Art (Santa Fe), NM Andrew Smith Gallery (Tucson), Bill Hester Fine Art (Santa Fe) Bonhams (LA, NYC, London), Calabi Gallery (Santa Rosa) Childs Gallery (Boston), Diehl Gallery (Jackson), The Directed Art Modern Gallery (Miami), Elizabeth Gordon Gallery (Santa Barbara), Endeavor Fine Art (Nashville), Faust II (Santa Fe, Scottsdale),Gail Severn Gallery (Ketchum), Gallery 1261 (Denver), Gary Snyder Fine Art (NYC, Bozeman),GF Contemporary (Santa Fe), Green River Stone Company (Logan), HG Contemporary Art (Flushing), ILIAD (New York), Imago Galleries (Palm Desert), J Klein Gallery (Scottsdale), James Compton Gallery (Santa Fe), K Contemporary (Denver), Kiechel Fine Art (Lincoln), L.A. Design (Missoula), Legend Nano Gallery (Carlsbad), Mai Wyn Fine Art (Denver), Mark Sublette Medicine Man Gallery (Tucson), Matthew Rowe Fine Art (Santa Fe), Maynard Dixon Museum (Tucson), Melissa Morgan Fine Art (Palm Desert) Mike Clark Fine Art (Billings), Nieto Fine Art (Rockwall), Patricia Qualls Contemporary Art (Carmel Valley), Peace Waters Collective (San Diego), Prescott Gallery & Sculpture Garden (Santa Fe), Redfern Gallery (Laguna Beach), Rehs Contemporary Galleries, Inc., (New York), Seagrave Gallery (Santa Cruz), Steidel Contemporary (Lake Worth), Stevens Fine Art (Phoenix), Studio Greytak (Missoula),T.H. Brennen Fine Art (Scottsdale), Tayloe Piggott Gallery (Jackson), Thomas Paul Fine Art (West Hollywood),Timothy Yarger Fine Art (Los Angeles), Waddell Gallery (Scottsdale), Walker Fine Art, LTD (New York), Wilde Meyer Gallery (Scottsdale), Woolff Gallery (London).2019 Sponsors: American Art Collector, artnet, Art Collector’s Athenaeum, Bonhams Auction House, Family Management Corporation, George B. Stroer Foundation, Grand Teton National Park, Jackson Hole Community Radio, Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance, Jackson Hole Public Art, Montanya Distillers, Mountain Living, 96.9 The Mountain KMTN Radio, The National Museum of Wildlife Art, Snow King Hotel, Teton Distillery, Wyoming Arts Council, Young’s Market
Venue: Snow King Sports and Events Center (100 E Snow King Ave)
About Jackson Hole Fine Art Fair
The Jackson Hole Fine Art Fair is the latest addition to the luxury, regional fairs produced under the leadership of Fair Director, Rick Friedman. Other fairs produced by Friedman include: the Hamptons, Aspen, Houston, San Francisco, Palm Springs, Silicon Valley and Philadelphia. JHFAF is excited to contribute to Jackson Hole’s vibrant arts community. 2019 Sponsors: American Art Collector, artnet, Art Collector’s Athenaeum, Bonhams Auction House, Family Management Corporation, George B. Stroer Foundation, Grand Teton National Park, Jackson Hole Community Radio, Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance, Jackson Hole Public Art, Montanya Distillers, Mountain Living, 96.9 The Mountain KMTN Radio, The National Museum of Wildlife Art, Snow King Hotel, Teton Distillery, Wyoming Arts Council, Young’s Market
Image Courtesy of Lucas Ayoub.
