The Hamptons Fine Art Fair Returns to Southampton July 10

With Basquiats and Warhols, Picassos, Harings and more, the Hamptons Fine Art Fair is returning to Southampton.

From July 10–13 on the Southampton Fairgrounds (605 County Road 39), the international art fair will boast work from 600 artists from 135 galleries, from 15 countries for viewing and for purchase on 17 green, bucolic acres. The event, entering its 19th year, is Rick Friedman’s brainchild.

“It’s relaxed but sophisticated,” Friedman said of the fair — and that just about sums it up.

Friedman is an industry veteran and his fair is the industry standard. After all, Forbes named The Hamptons Fine Art Fair among the 12 most notable in the world. This year, he expects at least 15,000 visitors. And these visitors can enjoy the art under the massive tents, but they may also frequent the fair’s fantastic outdoor sculpture garden. That’s where the fresh air is, and the oxygen will be imbued with the wonderful smell of dinners and lunches from the Shinnecock Lobster Truck, which will be catering the event. There will also be a broad summer menu on offer for lunch and dinner. And for drinks, guests can go back inside for two large indoor bars that will serve a range of wine and spirits.

Once guests have gobbled their lobster, sipped their drinks and dabbed their mouths with napkins, they can take their pick of themed booths. This year’s fair has many, and four were earmarked for special attention.

The Dripping In Style booth in The Pollock Pavilion will feature the artworks of Mark Grimaldi. He’s something of a Pollock disciple — hence the booth’s location — and the display’s centerpiece will be a 1969 MGB sports car painted in Pollock’s signature drip painting style.  The Real Surreal Booth is, yes, a surreal display that will feature a subset of the Museum of the Modern Renaissance. The Museum, based in Massachusetts, is a repurposed, three-story Masonic lodge with mural art depicting myths from around the world etched upon the walls.  The Peruvian Female Contemporary Artists Rising gallery will showcase the works of six emerging Peruvian artists including Lolo Ostia and Patrica Jenkins Gibson. In Rising Stars from Down Under, attendees can view the work of three emerging female artists from Australia: Elizabeth Langreiter, Marisa Mu and Lara Scolari.

It took him til the age of 50 to buy his first painting, but Friedman has amassed a gargantuan collection in no time. He’s got more than 300 paintings including six Pollocks — more than anyone in the world. Pollock, of course, was a Hamptonite, as are many of the other artists in Friedman’s collection.  Friedman believes in the local art scene, reveres it — after all, local art in The Hamptons has garnered global attention. Think Pollock, think de Kooning and Fay Lanser.

For the love of his community and the love of good art, Friedman makes sure to platform local artists at the fair each year.

“We want to always promote local artists and give them an opportunity,” he said. “For an artist, exhibiting is really important because museums can see their work or other galleries can see their work.”

Numerous Hamptons artists will be displayed at the fair, including accomplished painter and comic book artist Noelle Giddings, of Sag Harbor, who will display large paintings of her original comic book pages, and Hamptons-based photographer Adriane Stark, who is known for her botanical and architectural compositions. And to recognize the extra-special Hamptonites, Friedman’s got the Hamptons Artists Hall of Fame. This year, ex-olympian painter Ted Hartley and acclaimed sculptor Phyllis Baker Hammond will be inducted and their work will be displayed at the fair in honor of their legendary careers.

Of course, art is a far-reaching term, and it doesn’t strictly refer to paintings and large sculptures. That’s why this year, the fair will include art objects too.

“Art objects are pedestal-based art, which is art glass, pottery and ceramics,” Friedman explained.

Art objects are often overlooked and Friedman wants to change that. “A lot of people say to me, ‘Oh, Rick, I have so much art in my house. I can’t take any more paintings.’ Okay, but guess what? You can always add a pedestal.”

It’s this wide-range of art that garners the fair such attention. That and the wide-range of artists.

“Isn’t it rare that you’re going to go to a fair and meet people from 15 countries around the world? I mean, think about that — man, that’s outrageous. New Zealand, Australia, China, Japan, Ireland — all over. It’s unbelievable. We’re excited and people will have a good time.”

To VIPs, the event opens Thursday, July 10 with the First Look Preview from noon–5 p.m. The fair opens on Friday, July 11, from 11 a.m.–7 p.m. for VIP Collectors Day. General admission is Saturday, July 12 from 11 a.m.–7 p.m. and Sunday, July 13 from 11 a.m.–6 p.m.