WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — More than a hundred galleries from 15 countries are moving artwork into the Palm Beach County Convention Center for the Palm Beach Modern + Contemporary Art Fair.
The gallerists must give careful consideration to which pieces of art they take to display. More than 500 artists will be showcased on the massive exhibition floor.
Nick Korniloff, the director and executive vice president of the Palm Beach Modern + Contemporary Art Fair, believes the goal of the fair is to present some of the best in the art world.
“So, it gives a great retrospective to what’s happening, or what’s happened in the art world, and now with the current trends of the market,” he said.
Korniloff said this year attendees will see the power of women reflected in the arts— including minority artists who have risen to the top from countries around the world.
“A platform like an art fair gives immediate feedback, and when you’re representing either young or emerging talent, or even an established artist and you want to spread your wings," Korniloff said. "It’s better to be part of a community, in a certain amount of time, and an art fair lets you do that.”
Adam Adelson, executive director of Adelson Galleries on Palm Beach’s Worth Avenue, has a booth at the show.
“Curating an art fair is a lot different than curating an exhibition at the gallery," Adelson said. "An exhibition can be a little more focused on one artist or one theme, and at an art fair, like this one, there are so many artists. There’s a lot more competition in the way, because there’s so many great dealers.”
A few doors down on Worth Avenue, Gabriel Gordon serves as creative director and partner of Holden Luntz Gallery and JL Modern Gallery. He is choosing which of his thousands of pieces in inventory will go to the fair, and how they will be hung.
“The salon wall is usually a big attraction, people spend a lot of time in front of it, because there’s a huge story of pictures that speak to each other,” Gordon said.
The galleries must select pieces from their spacious galleries to fill a booth that’s a few hundred square feet for their footprint in a massive, 100,000 square foot exhibition hall.
The process of how pieces are made and materials an artist used can also draw the eyes.
“We have about 6,800 pieces in inventory right now,” Gordon said.
Gordon plans to include pieces from Garry Gabian Miller, whose photographs are taken without a camera, for their striking nature and the story behind them.
Meanwhile, Adelson has selected pieces from Patrick Hughes, whose artwork begs the viewer to walk around, experiencing an optical illusion. Adelson will also include pieces from artist Magdalena Murua, who creates collage with intricately cut comic books, and artist Federico Uribe, whose colorful sculptures are built of items like colored pencils or bullets.
Each gallery, and the artists behind them, hopes their piece will snag your eye and draw at your heart.
“Art is supposed to do that, it’s supposed to provoke you," Korniloff said, "it’s supposed to make you think, it’s supposed to touch your soul.”
Visit artpbfair.com for more information about the Palm Beach Modern + Contemporary Art Fair.
