Posted on by codylee

Palm Springs Fine Art Fair

Palm Springs Fine Art Fair 2015, image courtesy of PSFAF
Palm Springs Fine Art Fair 2015, image courtesy of PSFAF

The Palm Springs Fine Art Fair returns to the desert this week with an impressive selection of 66 modern and contemporary art galleries. In its fourth edition this year, the Palm Springs Fine Art Fair is already as large as Art Los Angeles Contemporary and seems ready to surpass the longer running LA Art Show as the premier West Coast art fair.

PSFAF launched in 2012, and by 2014 had nearly doubled attendance to more than 14,000 visitors. Along with the fair, the concurrent events of Modernism Week, the Presidents’ Day holiday, and the East Coast’s crap wintery weather, the Coachella Valley’s regular population of 400,000 will double to 800,000 during this long weekend.

Jeffrey Milstein, Swiss International Airlines A340-300; archival inkjet on paper, 24 x 24 inches; image courtesy of Foster/White Gallery
Jeffrey Milstein, Swiss International Airlines A340-300; archival inkjet on paper, 24 x 24 inches; image courtesy of Foster/White Gallery

The VIP preview and Vernissage will begin on Thursday evening, and the fair will open to the public at 11am on Friday. With Palm Desert’s best galleries, and more from Southern California, San Francisco, New York, and others from France, Argentina, and South Korea, visitors can expect diversity and leading-edge modern and contemporary art.

Tom Betts, Archipelago and Glass, 2015; oil on panel, 36 x 24 inches; image © Tom Betts, courtesy of the artist
Tom Betts, Archipelago and Glass, 2015; oil on panel, 36 x 24 inches; image © Tom Betts, courtesy of the artist

Dawson Cole Fine Art, with galleries in Palm Desert, Laguna Beach, and Carmel, will premiere new works by Tom Betts. Dawson Cole also represents Chuck Close, Donald Sultan, Wayne Thiebaud, Jian Wang, and Richard MacDonald.  Look for their booth near the VIP lounge.

Alain Richard, The Moon; light box, 68 x 68 inches; image courtesy of Vogelsang Gallery
Alain Richard, The Moon; light box, 68 x 68 inches; image courtesy of Vogelsang Gallery

Vogelsang Gallery (Brussels) commissioned a fascinating performance piece in 2014 and we can’t wait to see their booth this year. Others not to miss include Art Vitam (Paris and Miami), Bentley Gallery (Phoenix), and Foster/White Gallery (Seattle and Palm Springs). Local favorites will be Heather James Fine Art and Hohmann Fine Art (Palm Desert), and Peter Blake Gallery (Laguna Beach).

View a complete list of exhibitors:  PSAF

Preview works and browse content:  Artsy

Dominique Blain, Rubbles, 2013; inkjet print on rag paper, acrylic, LED lamps, transformer, aluminum, 44 x 54 1/2 inches; image courtesy of Bentley Gallery
Dominique Blain, Rubbles, 2013; inkjet print on rag paper, acrylic, LED lamps, transformer, aluminum, 44 x 54 1/2 inches; image courtesy of Bentley Gallery

If visitors experience fairtigue, there’s more to see in Palm Springs this weekend beyond the convention center. For mid-century architecture fans, the 15th edition of Modernism Week provides a full schedule of tours and events, and the Palm Springs Art Museum Architecture and Design Center has extended hours until 8pm.

The Palm Springs Art Museum’s current exhibitions include Ai Weiwei’s Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads: Gold, an installation of symbols from the Chinese zodiac. (The exhibition is sponsored by Heather James Fine Art. Coincidentally, Phillips in London will auction an edition on Thursday).

February 24, 2015, update:  codylee.co/palm-springs-fine-art-fair-recap/