NEW YORK, NY.- Last night, over 2,500 fair-goers attended the opening day of the 26th edition of the Outsider Art Fair in New York City, an all-time record for the fair that specializing in showcasing the works of self-taught artists from around the world and additional proof that outsider art has changed the shape of modern and contemporary art and developed a thriving art market of its own.

A select group of tastemakers from the art, culture, fashion, and entertainment fields attended an early preview held at the The Metropolitan Pavilion, located at 125 West 18th Street in New York City. They included artists Maurizio Cattelan, Hugo Guinness, Peter McGough, Brian Donnelly - KAWS - and Josh Smith; collectors Marty & Rebecca Eisenberg, Adam Lindemann, Bob Greenberg and Eric Eisner as well as Curator Massimiliano Gioni, among others.

"The energy is incredible – it's started early and hasn't let up. It feels like people are more engaged than any other year, and what to learn about the art. We sold a major collection right at the beginning of the afternoon, and expect sales continue," said J Compton, who presented a collection of Japanese children's drawings from World War II.

"From the opening minute of the fair, there has been a stampede towards our booth", said James Barron, who presented a never-before-seen collection of paintings by Janet Sobel. "It's inspiring to experience the enthusiasm from everyone for this artwork", said first-time exhibitor, Jennifer Lauren, on her presentation of ceramics by Shinichi Sawada – also the artist's first exhibition in the United States.

Additional guests included: Corice Arman**, Alina Baikova, Brian Belott**, Lawrence & Elyse Benenson, Enrico Bonetti**, Lolita Cros**, Bruno Decharme, Peter Doroshenko, Cheryl Dunn**, Harvey Fierstein, Jaime Frankfurt & Pamela Hanson, Vincent Fremont, Noah Horowitz, Alex Katz**, Dominic Kozerski**, Christina Kruse, Conrad de Kwiatkowski**, Sydie Lansing, Jean-Pierre & Rachel Lehmann, Tomas Maier, Paul Mathieu**, Joseph Moinian, Young Paris, Karen Patterson, Jane Rosenblum, Aurel Schmidt**, Andres Serrano**, Todd Solondz**, Antoine Verglas, Jamian Juliano-Villani**, and Pauline Willis



**Denotes Artists