SCOPE Art Fair 2009
Report
Miami’s longest-running global fair SCOPE Art Show, closed its eighth year Sunday, December 6, with many galleries reporting a doubling and tripling of sales and increased traffic by 20%, bringing in over 35,000 visitors. Positioning museum-quality programming alongside an international roster, SCOPE hosted 75 galleries from 25 countries, including a section devoted to Latin American art.
First-year exhibitor Anonymous Gallery from New York, commissioned three works by David Ellis with one going to collector Charles Saatchi, and sold several other pieces including a Romon Kimin Yang aka Rostarr for 60,000 USD.
Founder, Alexis Hubshman enlisted curator and critic David Hunt to assemble a curatorial board of “the best up-and-coming, next-generation curators,” and Hunt’s four choices, Hubshman said, “were like kernels that popped while they were with us.” The hand-picked cast included: Naomi Beckwith, Assistant Curator, The Studio Museum in Harlem; Kate McNamara, Curatorial Assistant, PS1 / MOMA, New York; Benjamin Godsill, Curatorial Associate, New Museum, New York.
SCOPE attracted prominent institutions, museums, and private collectors from the Americas, Europe and emerging markets from the Middle East to Japan, including: Charles Saatchi; Agnes Gund; Marty Margulies; Marc & Livia Straus; The Oppenheimers; MOCA Los Angeles; MoMA New York; Guggenheim Museum New York; The Zechendorfs; The Riverside Art Museum; The Toledo Museum of Art; Christie’s Auction House; Sotheby’s and artist Chuck Close.
Gallerists offered positive reports, including:
• First-year exhibitor Galeria Christopher Paschall from Bogota, Colombia sold seven pieces to a German museum.
• Mike Weiss Gallery sold 400,000 USD, with two works by the newly discovered German painter Stefanie Gutheil going to Kansas’ Nerman Museum; and artist Liao Yibai selling three editions of Ring, and one Fake Bag.
• Aureus Contemporary sold 75-80% of the work they brought to SCOPE and 80% of that was to new buyers.
• Irvine Contemporary and Elizabeth Houston reported a 50% sales increase over last year.
SCOPE Art Fair Background:
Over 30 fairs spanning eight years, SCOPE solidified its position as the premier showcase for international emerging contemporary art, hosting an impressive line-up of A-list galleries, blue-chip institutional groups, and respected patrons whose unique collections reflect both serious purpose and a deep commitment to personal vision. The fair’s early advocacy of promising young artists has proven extremely prescient as these same artists return after inclusion in culture-defining exhibitions, such as the Whitney Biennial and Greater New York–garnering accolades in prestigious critical journals, including Art in America, Artforum, and Frieze magazines. SCOPE was the first to bring such emerging galleries as Peres Projects, Daniel Reich, John Connelly Presents, Taxter & Spengemann and Marella Gallery to a wider audience, paving the way to an explosion on the art scene. SCOPE also has given many now- prominent emerging artists like Assume Astro Vivid Focus, Scissor Sisters and Black Label their first significant international exposure. For more information on SCOPE Art Show please visit www.scope-art.com.
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