THE INAUGURAL SEATTLE ART FAIR EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS

WITH MORE THAN 15,000 PEOPLE IN ATTENDANCE

-Strong Sales Across the Board-

-$85,000 Raised for Artist Trust-

Seattle and New York, August 5, 2015 – More than 15,000 people visited the inaugural Seattle Art Fair, co-produced by Vulcan Inc. and Art Market Productions, from July 30 – August 2. Sales were brisk across the board and remained strong throughout the fair’s four days. Opening crowds wrapped around CenturyLink Field Event Center. Visitors to the fair’s acclaimed first edition were met with a tightly curated exhibition of 62 local,regional, and national galleries alongside a program of public installations, performances, and special exhibitions.

“The Seattle Art Fair saw incredible support from not only the Seattle community, but from the art world at large,” said Mary Ann Prior, Director of Art Collections, Vulcan Inc.

“Many of the country’s top collectors were here, and we are thrilled to have built such a well-received backdrop to many important acquisitions and introductions,” added Max Fishko, Director of the Seattle Art Fair and Managing Partner of Art Market Productions.

The Seattle Art Fair’s well-attended opening night preview raised over $85,000 for Artist Trust. Collectors, museum directors and curators from across the country joined the top of Seattle’s collecting community including The Honorable Ed Murray, Mayor of Seattle, Paul G. Allen, Seattle Art Museum director Kim Rorschach, Sarah and Richard Barton, Jon Shirley, Virginia Wright, Michael and Barbara Malone, Barney Ebsworth, and other tech industry titans and executives from Seattle-based multinational corporations – many of whom sat on the fair’s Host Committee.

Gagosian Gallery enjoyed an active Preview and noted the enthusiasm of the crowd, which included prominent collectors as well as museum directors and curators from across the region. Paul Kasmin Gallery sold Revolution #2, by Ivan Navarro in the fair’s first hours, and David Zwirner Gallery also immediately sold work by Oscar Murillo and Christopher Williams. bitforms Gallery noted sales of new work by Addie Wagenknecht and Samsøn Projects sold work by Mark Cooper to a prominent New York City collector. New York’s Maxwell Davidson Gallery sold several works by Thomas Witte and Seattle gallery Winston Wächter Fine Art sold four works by Dustin Yellin including mixed media and sculpture. Seattle’s Greg Kucera Gallery also saw a range of sales including Sherry Markovitz’s Poodle Head, two Margie Livingston paint pieces, and a William Kentridge. Jenkins Johnson Gallery sold Patricia Piccinini’s Eulogy, 2011, and Pace Gallery placed two of teamLab’s interactive digital installations and a Yoshitomo Nara. New York City collector Beth Rudin DeWoody who purchased a half-dozen works from dealers from New York, Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Seattle, commented, “I saw that there were some New York dealers participating and thought it would be interesting to see and support the city.” Mr. Allen also acquired several works throughout the fair including works by regional artists.

Collectors returned throughout the weekend, visiting several times to view more work and to finalize new acquisitions. James Cohan Gallery saw significant interest in the works of Spencer Finch and sold several pieces by Elias Sime throughout the weekend. Adelson Gallery sold Jamie Wyeth’s Sisters – Six in a Suite of Untoward Occurrences on Monhegan Island, a historic work priced well into the six figures. Other highlights include Catharine Clark Gallery’s sale of sculpture by Wanxin Zhang and work on paper by Masami Teraoka, in addition to Jonathan Ferrara Gallery’s placement of work by Skylar Fein, Brian Borrello, Katrina Andry, and Nikki Rosato. Charlie James Gallery saw great success with the work of LA artist Ramiro Gomez, Los Angeles’s 101/Exhibit sold a work on panel by Ian Ingram, and Seattle’s Roq La Rue sold work on paper by local artist Amanda Manitach as well as acrylics on panel by Travis Louie and Camille Rose Garcia. Portland’s PDX Contemporary Art sold work by Jeffrey Mitchell and pieces by Northwest artists including Joe Rudko, Marie Watt, Kristen Miller, and James Lavadour. James Harris Gallery, Monte Clark Gallery, Richard Levy Gallery, Rebecca Hossack Gallery,

Gail Severn Gallery, and Nancy Hoffman Gallery all reported steady sales throughout the weekend to both new and existing regional, national, and local collectors.

Pace Gallery director Elizabeth Sullivan commented, “We greatly enjoyed the fair and it was a pleasure meeting old and new clients. We will definitely be back next year and we hope to spend some more time in Seattle.” Eric Gleason, director of Paul Kasmin Gallery remarked, “We’re happy to have placed significant work with local collections that were new to the gallery, and the potential exists for mobilizing a new generation of collectors. So we’ll be back.” Shinichi Kitahara, director of Kaikai Kiki, summed up the zeitgeist of the fair as he spoke to the similarities between the Seattle Art Fair’s first edition and the start of Art Basel Hong Kong. “This is the right place for this movement; more than any other city,” said Kitahaua. “We want to be a part of the creation of this moment – the combination of who is here, the organization of the event, and the audience. The moment is here, and everyone is looking.”

SEATTLE ART FAIR EXHIBITORS

http://seattleartfair.com/galleries

About Art Market Productions

Art Market Productions produces seven art fairs annually including Art on Paper New York, Art Market San Francisco, Market Art + Design, Seattle Art Fair, Texas Contemporary, Art on paper Miami, and Miami Project. Art Market Productions focuses on creating the highest quality art fair experience by connecting collectors with dealers in the most optimal settings and contexts. Established in 2011 by partners Jeffrey Wainhause and Max Fishko, the company is dedicated to creating distinctive platforms and expanding networks of connection. For more information, visit artmarketproductions.com.

About Vulcan, Inc.

Vulcan, Inc. creates and advances a variety of world-class endeavors and high-impact initiatives that change and improve the way people live, learn, do business and experience the world. Founded in 1986 by investor and philanthropist Paul G. Allen, Vulcan oversees various business and charitable projects including real estate holdings, investments in dozens of companies, including the Seattle Seahawks NFL, Seattle Sounders FC Major League Soccer, and Portland Trail Blazers NBA franchises, First & Goal Inc., the Seattle Cinerama theatre, Experience Music Project, the Science Fiction Museum & Hall of Fame, the Allen Institute for Brain Science, the Allen Institute for Cell Science and The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation. For more information, visit vulcan.com.

Media Contact:

Nicole Straus Public Relations

Ali Price, 917-488-9987, [email protected]