NEW YORK, NY.- The fifth edition of Art New York closed on Sunday, May 5, where it reported consistent high-value sales and stellar attendance, with 33,600 prestigious private and institutional collectors, connoisseurs, and advisors attending throughout the weekend. The fair, which opened on Thursday, May 2, presented robust and dynamic presentations from 74 international galleries, and work from influential artists from the contemporary, modern, post-war and pop eras.

Renowned as one of the city’s leading contemporary and modern art fairs, Art New York presented premium works of art from more than 300 artists combined with curated programs of special projects, non-profit partnerships, and CONTEXT, a destination for new and established contemporary galleries to present emerging, mid-career and cutting-edge talent. The collector’s afternoon VIP Preview, which occurred on opening day at 2pm before the fair opened to the public at 5pm, saw VIP ticket-holders gathered from early morning and resulted in numerous sales and a record-breaking number of visitors with 6,000 people attending that day.

Julian Navarro, Co-Director, Art New York, “This was a very strong edition due to the important sales reported by our galleries of today’s most exciting and influential artists, the quality of the attendees and the vibrant atmosphere. The fair’s success indicated a positive and growing market for emerging and mid-career artists. Art New York continues to remain a vital fair for collectors during New York's art week to discover and acquire fresh and significant works from contemporary and modern art.”

As guests entered the fair, they were drawn to a $3.5 million portrait presented by RUDOLF BUDJA GALLERY titled, Liza Minnelli, by Andy Warhol. The monochrome portrait has a flash of color with the star’s lips painted red, and is one of ten portraits made, with Liza holding four in her personal collection.

Two high value works at Martinelli Art Gallery titled Concetto Spaziale “Attese”, 1960 by Lucio Fontana priced at $2.5 million, and Achrome by Piero Manzoni priced at $3 million appealed to guests, who were also entranced by Art of the World Gallery’s bright red booth that showcased work including Random Sewing, 2009 by Jim Dine and Two Friends, 2012 by Fernando Botero. As attendees moved through the fair, they engaged with Jellyfish Eyes, (Black I), 2004 by Takashi Murakami and several pieces by Jean Dubuffet at Rosenfeld Gallery, in addition to the stunning collections of Frank Stella and Marc Chagall at Masterworks Fine Art.

In the VIP Lounge, Chase Contemporary revealed a series of never-before-exhibited kinetic works by esteemed artist, inventor, and pioneering engineer Chuck Hoberman including Spiral, 2011 and Helicoid, 1997 and Iris Dome, 1994, which has been displayed at The Museum of Modern Art.

The high quality of the presentation ensured that extremely sought-after offerings at the fair also included works by KAWS, RETNA, Pablo Atchugarry, Jean-Michel Basquiat, George Condo, Salvador Dali, Willem de Kooning, Shepard Fairey, Keith Haring, Robert Indiana, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Longo, Francisco Masó, Henri Matisse, Joan Miró, Pablo Picasso, Richard Prince, and Robert Rauschenberg.

Sales Included:

· Art of the World Gallery had a Fernando Botero painting, valued at approximately $1 million, placed on reserve, and sold With all my love, 2018 by Mr. Brainwash for approximately $60,000, and Obtuse, 2018 by Rafael Barrios for approximately $20,000.

· Mark Hachem placed two sculptures by Philippe Hiquily, one titled Marathonienne, 1998 for $250,000, and a smaller version of the same work for $125,000. They also placed Tenderness, 1958 by Hamed Abdalla for $65,000, and a sculpture by Hussein Madi for $22,000.

· Clark Priftis Art placed four Moon Crater panels and one Starburst mirror by Abby Modell, all from 2019, for a total cost of $72,500.

· Zemack Contemporary Art placed Shely, 2016 by Yigal Ozeri for $70,000 as well as the artist’s work, New York scenes, 2018 for $18,000, and Snoop Dogg, 1998 by Jonathan Mannion.

· Markowitz Fine Art placed Knowledge is power, 2018, by Kai for $58,000.

· Eternity Gallery placed two works by Damien Hirst, both for $25,000.

· DMD Contemporary placed two pieces by Debbie Ma, No Way In, 2019 $45,000, and Beneath the Moon, 2018 for $17,000.

· Avant Gallery placed several Skyler Grey paintings including Minnie’s Chanel Can of pearls in green & gold, 2018 and Mickey’s Chanel addiction in Paris pink, priced up to $50,000 and several works by Lasso, including The Marias, 2019, Ruana, 2019 priced up to $22,000, and his Idolo series, 2019.

· Taglialatella Galleries X Jerkface revealed the artist’s first site-specific, interactive installation at a major international art fair, titled Eat Your Spinach, where Jerkface presented an experiential reimagination of his favorite spinach-loving sailor. An original painting on canvas was released and immediately sold for $35,000, while the entire new collection of limited-edition prints, released at the VIP Preview, were sold. During the opening day, guests inside the installation were able to make short videos that were sent to their phones as a curated, live-action clip to be shared on social media.

· Waterhouse & Dodd placed several Hyperphotos by Jean-François Rauzier including MoMA for $27,500, Cours de Marbre for $27,500, and Rodin – L’Âge d’airain for $25,000.

· LICHT FELD GALLERY revealed four never-before-seen prints of David Bowie by artist and photographer Markus Klinko, including one which sold for $25,000 ahead of the fairs opening. They also placed Wasserfall, 2018 for $23,000, Sex sells, 2015 and Black hair, 2015 by MARCK, and Mick Jagger, 2008 by Hubert Kretzschmar.

· Cynthia Corbett Gallery placed several small Andy Burgess paintings and collages in addition to his piece, Ridgeline House, Pasadena, 2019 for $32,000, and a pair of Isabelle van Zeijl photographs, titled She Is, 2018 The One, 2018 for $22,500.

· Okay Spark placed Glass Sculpture, 2019 by Stephan Cox for $20,000.

· Juan Silió Gallery placed a piece by Rafa Macarron for $18,000.

· Quigley & Company placed Kairos VI, 2018 Greg Vrotsos for $17,500.

· Chase Contemporary and OXHOLM GALLERY sold multiple works by Ole Aakjær for more than $15,000 each.

· Galería Casa Cuadrada secured several sales for Edgar Plans including New York, New York, 2019 for $12,400, and Jean-Michel Basquiat, my little friend, 2019.

· Steidel Contemporary placed Reawakening, 2018 by Claudia Limacher for $15,800, Cherokee, 2014 by Michael Rich for $15,000, Gilded coral nest, 2018 by Jennifer McCurdy for $9,200 via presale, Ammonoidea Azure, 2018, Ocean Echo, 2019, and Aurum Aqua (Gold Water) Wall Installation, 2019, and Cornu Amber, 2019 by Debra Steidel, and Beacon, 2019, Yin Yang, 2018 and Unraveling, 2016 by Michael Alfano.

· ​Liss Gallery placed Ballet du Sud, 2018 by for $10,500 and Woman with hat, 2018, by Rachel Isadora.

· Alpha 137 Gallery made several sales in the first hour of the fair including two editions of America the melting pot, 1989 by Massimo Vignelli, Brushstrokes: Horizontal and Vertical, 1996 by Sol LeWitt, Meeting plaza, 2018 by Thelma Appel, and Cat, 2000 by Roy De Forest.

· Atelier New York sold multiple works by Richard Nocera, and large piece by Jason Chase.

· Chase Contemporary placed work by Andy Warhol and Raphael Mazzucco.

· Chiefs & Spirits placed BTF by Toyin Loye.

· Donghwa Ode Gallery placed Eternal flame, 2017 by Yong R. Kwon.

· FREDERIC GOT placed You sexy thing, 2019 by Stallman – Jason Hallman, and Miscellanées, 2018 by Jacques Le Bescond.

· Fremin Gallery placed Trust by Drew Tal, Orange Balloon Dog by Jeff Koons, and Holy Day by Antoine Rose.

· Galleria Ca' d'Oro placed work by Peter Demetz, Melissa Herrington, Ewa Bathelier, Micaela Lattanzio.

· HAVOC Gallery placed Draco Obscure, 2019 by Bruce R. MacDonald, and Blue #4, 2018 by Joël Urruty.

· Kahn Gallery placed Orange vanilla, 2019 by Gregory Watin and three pieces by Elisabeth Lecourt titled, Les oiseaux gangsters en pyjamas, map of Chicago, Ma maison en carton, map of Paris, and Ma robe sorbet pistache, map of Nantucket.

· Lilac Gallery reported that The Bunny Wall by Hunt Slonem was a great sensation with several placements including, Untitled (Bunny on Blue Lavender), 2018, Untitled (Bunny on Belize Turquoise), 2019, Heavy Metal, 2019, Untitled (Bunny on White), 2014, Untitled (Bunny on Chiffon Rose Pink), 2018, Untitled (Bunny on Carolina Blue), 2019. The Dripping Dots collection from Cindy Shaoul was well received with the following pieces placed: Dripping Dots - Carrara, 2019, Dripping Dots - Geneva, 2019, Dripping Dots - Basel, 2019, Dripping Dots - Hollywood Regency, 2019.

· OXHOLM GALLERY sold several works by Kinki Texas and five by Niels Corfitzen.

· Roka Art Gallery placed White monkey, 2018 by Romeo Michelotto.

· RUDOLF BUDJA GALLERY placed EXIT, 2018 by Florian Reinhardt.

· Winterowd Fine Art placed five Karen Bexfield glass sculptures and three works by Annell Livingston.

The New York Academy of Art (NYAA) was Art New York’s philanthropic partner. The Academy presented an exhibition curated by Academy President David Kratz and Academy supporter Helena Christensen, that held a VIP Reception on opening day attended by NYAA trustees Brooke Shields, Suzanne and Bob Cochran, Patricia and Scott Moger, and NYAA Provost Peter Drake. The drawings, paintings and sculpture have all been created by alumni of the Academy’s MFA program including James Adelman, Tamalin Baumgarten, Joao Brandao, Dina Brodsky, Diana Corvelle, Shiqing Deng, Christian Fagerlund, Brett Harvey, Jacob Hicks, Alexis Hilliard, Sara Issakharian, Yun Jang, Lani Kennefick, Will Kurtz, Dan Pelonis, Laura Peturson, James Razko, Nicolas V. Sanchez, Stephen Shaeen, Susan Siegel, Kathy Stecko, Zeynep Tekiner, Jiannan Wu, and Zane York. Several of the artists attended the VIP reception, and the NYAA placed 13 works throughout the fair.

Throughout the fair, prominent figures viewed the impressive selection of works, including: Jon Bon Jovi and his son Jesse Bongiovi, artist Steve Hash with his wife Ally Hilfiger, art advisor Thomas Salafia Bajoni, Rodrigo Bazan, President, Thom Browne, photographer Lynn Goldsmith, collector Libbie Mugrabi, designer Geoffrey Bradfield, actress Ashley Williams, model Annie Gustafsson, and curators from The Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Brooklyn Museum.

Special Projects, Highlights & Partnerships

· Dutch photographer Isabelle Van Zeijl signed her mini-catalogs and discussed her works making their New York debut, and a selection making their international debut, at Cynthia Corbett Gallery.

· Johnathan Ball signed copies of his book Flights of Fancy at Liss Gallery. Ball is a multi-disciplinary artist working primarily in the mediums of painting and photography. They also held a book signing for the artist Simeon Posen’s new book, Landscape in Motion.

· Manny Hernandez, who for the past 28 years has captured Miami’s essence in arts, fashion, lifestyle, celebrities, and pop culture, signed copies of his first book, CANDIDS Miami, attended by artists including Terry Urban, Napkin Killa.

· The Children’s Museum of the Arts hosted a booth where children created works of contemporary art at one-hour sessions while their parents or caregivers explored the fair.

· Artsy offered an intimate one-hour tour of the fair to Art New York VIP ticket-holders. An Artsy Specialist led collectors through a selection of fair highlights, offering an in-depth look at standout booths and concluding with a champagne toast in the VIP lounge. Art New York invites you to explore more than 1,000 works from the fair on Artsy. Save your favorite pieces at the fair to a personal collection, follow artists, and connect directly with exhibitors. artsy.net/art-newyork-2019.

· Artika Artists’ Books is the publishing house from Barcelona that specializes in Limited Editions works created in conjunction with great international artists and produced using painstaking artisan processes that make every copy a unique and unrepeatable piece. Art New York visitors had the chance to discover book creations that invite you to discover the essence of Fernando Botero and Jaume Plensa. Both of these Limited and Numbered Edition works are created in collaboration and personally supervised by the artists. To learn more, please visit www.artikabooks.com

· Elyx Mobile Bar and Lounge in Art New York: Inspired by the success of other immersive brand experiences like the Elyx House LA, Absolut Elyx created a mobile bar that brought the Elyx Experience to Art New York. The Elyx Mobile Bar educated consumers on this luxury vodka while utilizing the Elyx copper serving rituals. The Elyx Mobile Bar lounge showcased the brand’s unique brand aesthetic while creating a memorable experience. Elyx also hosted a lounge during Art New York for an oasis away from the rest of the fair.