No doubt, annual art fairs play a key role in the global contemporary art market. It is here that the directions of the development of the art industry are set, new names are opened, art trends are born and large deals are made. In a utilitarian sense, art fairs are trade shows that bring together art collectors, art gallery owners, agents, artists from around the world.
At the same time, art fairs are open to the general public and are a pole of attraction for ordinary art lovers. Galleries from all over the world showcase paintings, sculptures, installations, photographs, cinema, video and digital art.Works ranging from creations by young artists to masterpieces of museum caliber are represented for the attention of visitors. Exciting, and sometimes repulsive and even vulgar art objects, fascinating and scandalous performances are designed to affect the emotions of the audience and capture the imagination of photographers.
Art fair visitors have a tempting opportunity to see and, if fortunate enough, to acquire the works of the still unknown contemporary artists before critics and experts give them their mark and get into the expositions of the Pompidou Centre or the Guggenheim Museum. Walking through the halls, you can plunge into the atmosphere of modern art, compete in erudition with beginners and professionals from around the world, meet new galleries and artists, get inspiration and stimulus.
Today, there are more than 260 art fairs, but some of them remain the most significant.
Art Basel, Hong Kong, 2018
ART BASEL
Art Basel is known as the world’s largest contemporary art fair. In 2020, the Art Basel Fair celebrates its 50th anniversary. Currently there are three sites: in Basel, Miami Beach and Hong Kong.
Art Basel annually connect leading galleries from around the world. Paintings, sculptures, works on paper, photographs, works of digital art, video art and installations are showcased and sold here.
In the conclusion of the fair, the two most talanted artists award a Bâloise Art Prize, and their works are bought and transferred to the museums of modern art in Luxembourg and Frankfurt. World celebrities invest in contemporary art at Art Basel events. Here were seen for the acquisition of art objects Jay-Z and Beyonce, Brad Pitt.
In addition to the works of contemporaries, participating galleries exhibit creations by classics of the twentieth century: Pablo Picasso, Joan Miro, Andy Warhol, Francis Bacon, Vasily Kandinsky, Rene Magritte, Jackson Pollock, Man Ray, Alberto Giacometti and other recognized masters.
Frieze Art Fair, London
Frieze Contemporary Art Fair takes place in London, New York and Los Angeles and unites more than 170 galleries. The fair program includes a series of discussions with artists, experts, directors and curators. At the end of the exhibition, curators present prizes to young talents for outstanding achievements in the field of fine art, music …
The exposure presents all types of contemporary art: video and installations, painting, sculpture, as well as textiles and ceramics. According to experts, the paradoxical trend of recent years is the revival of interest in easel painting: on the one hand, this art is less “risky” than installations, on the other hand, painting is perceived as a tangible counterweight to the rapidly developing online space.
FRIEZE ART FAIR
TEFAF Maastricht, 2015
TEFAF
The European Fair of Fine Arts (TEFAF) is an annual fair of art, antiques and design, organized by the European Foundation for Fine Arts in Maastricht, Netherlands.
Every year, 260 galleries from 20 countries take part in the TEFAF Maastricht exhibition, displaying exhibits covering 7,000 years of art history. For first time it took place in 1988. The 10-day fair attracts about 75,000 visitors and is considered one of the world’s leading art fairs.
In addition to the Maastricht Fair, TEFAF is also takes place twice a year in New York. TEFAF New York Spring revolves around contemporary art and design, while TEFAF New York Fall represents fine and decorative art from antiquity until 1920.
Within the framework of the fair, provocative discussions are held daily, where professionals talk about trends of art and culture, architecture and design, fashion, media, etc. Conversations are broadcast live, and then archived and uploaded for public access on the fair’s website.
Armory Show, 2020
ARMORY SHOW
For the first time the exhibition was held in three US cities in 1913: at the Armory of the 69th Regiment of New York, at the Art Institute of Chicago, and then at the Copley Society of Art in Boston.
The show was a turning point in the history of American art, introducing surprised Americans, accustomed to realistic art, with experimental styles of the European avant-garde, including Fauvism, Cubism and Futurism. The show served as a catalyst for American artists who became more independent and created their own “artistic language.”
Today, the Armory Show is the main art fair in New York and a leading cultural education whose mission is to research and select the most significant works of art of the 20th and 21st centuries. Presentations by leading international galleries, innovative solutions by artists are presented at the Armory Show; dynamic public programs are held here.
In addition to promoting the work of famous artists, the Armory Show also provides support to aspiring artists. The works of young artists are demonstrated both at the main event, and at many small satellite fairs that take place during the Armory Show Week.
FIAC Art Fair, Grand Palais
FIAC
Foire Internationale d’Art Contemporain was founded in Paris in 1974. FIAC brings together about 200 exhibitors at the Grand Palais and covers all genres of contemporary art: painting, sculpture, photography, installations, videos, performances and digital art. Here are the best examples of artistic creativity since the beginning of the twentieth century. At the same time, the organization finances young galleries to facilitate their presence at FIAC.
At the time of the fair, Winston Churchill Avenue becomes a pedestrian, turning into an open-air museum. About forty sculptures and installations are exhibited here by FIAC, thus making contemporary art accessible to a wide audience.
For the duration of the fair, FIAC presents a freely accessible programme: performances “Parades for FIAC”, conferences “Conversation Room” and screenings of artits’films “Cinéphémère”.
Art Dubai
ART DUBAI
Having created a name in business and tourism, Dubai also creates a sensation in the world of art. Art Dubai is a part of City Art Week and it attracts an impressive number of art lovers annually. Art Dubai reflects the unique qualities of the city: a landmark for the future, high ambitions, cosmopolitanism and intelligence.
Art Dubai’s mission is the cultivation of a unique ecosystem that includes art, education, mentoring, and intellectual leadership through the Global Art Forum program and Campus Art Dubai’s mentoring platform. Art Dubai acts as a launching pad and platform for a successful career for artists, curators and other professionals in the field of art. It was Art Dubai that gave a start in life for many artists from the Middle East, from Africa and Asia, thanks to which today collectors from around the world return to Dubai to replenish their stores.
The Art Dubai exhibition space is represented by four gallery sections: Modern, Contemporary, Residents and Bawwaba and extends to the territory known as the “Global South”, including Southeast Asia, the African continent, Latin America and Australasia.