ARTEXPO NEW YORK TURNS 40!
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BY JAMIE FORBES AND VICTOR FORBES FOUNDERS AND OWNERS OF SUNSTORM FINE ART MAGAZINE
appy 40th Anniversary Artexpo New York and congratulations to Eric Smith, Rick Barnett, Geoff Fox, Linda Mariano and your entire staff. Over the last decades, it has been our great pleasure to work with the show, publicizing and displaying art on the show floor of Artexpo. We first walked the exhibition when it was at the New York Coliseum Hall. We were first introduced to the show by Victor’s grandmother, Helen Dunn, who was interviewing Henry Fonda in the offices of Artexpo founders Phil Coffaro and Gerry Leberfeld. Dali’s notorious European publisher, Leon Amiel, also represented Fonda, was there to present the actor’s paintings along with a collection of limited edition graphics at the show in 1981. During the 80’s, a polite bedlam overtook the Artexpo New York scene as people waited on line for the doors to open to get to the “hot” booths before they “sold out” of the high demand works. At the Marigold booth, you had to have an appointment to meet a salesperson—the floor was absolutely packed with trade buyers on opening day. Yes, Virginia, it really was like that! The industry of quality art prints was booming as affordable limited editions came into being. Artists who come to mind from that first decade: Erté, Agam, Pisarro, Orlando Agudelo-Botero, Ting Shao Kuang, Jiang Ti-Feng, Chagall, Picasso, Alex Katz, Will Barnett, Impiglia, and Marcus Pierson. Meisner Galleries were on the back cover of every magazine with their latest Michael Wilkinson sculpture releases. Andy Warhol’s environmental series of prints made their debut to good exposure at Artexpo. Dealers and publishers championed them all. Chalk and Vermilion, Circle Fine Art, Dyansen, Marigold, Meisner, Fingerhut, London Contemporary Art—success unfolded before them like a wave of manna from heaven. Eager buyers—young and old—decorators, gallery chains, frame molding businesses and individuals consumed all the hot new works of art created just for the occasion. Exhibitors sold out and the editions ordered were distributed to buyers within days. A series of new hit artists arose, championed by art publishers like Ron Segal, Glenn Engman, Robert Bane, Marilyn Goldberg, Nan Miller and so many others. Galleries were on programs to buy every new release every month so they wouldn’t miss out on the latest Erté edition. Silkscreens, etchings, lithographs, sculptures, originals, multiples and unique paintings all sold to eager buyers. The discerning collector and savvy dealer always found something if they looked hard enough. Artexpo was viewed like the fashion/furniture trade shows where goods were affordable and interiors adorned. The early days of Artexpo were remarkable because it was literally made by the movers and shakers who created a market that had not previously existed, complete with artists who became international stars. As Artexpo rose in stature, the exhibition space became a premium. Artists with evolving international reputations moved up and out. With the exit of the big names to the higher end market, a new group of artists emerged ready to take their place and make their mark. Artexpo, by now an established international venue, filled the vacancies. In the changing new
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artexpo new york 2018