The economy is in shambles, but art and design dealers continue to put on a brave face. As after the ADAA Art Show in February, and the AIPAD photography show in March, the results from the just-ended International Sculpture Objects & Functional Art Fair at the Park Avenue Armory seem to be just fine, thank you.
A press release from SOFA talks of “buoyant sales and steady crowds.” Total attendance was 14,500, plus 2,600 on opening night — or 17,100. Last year, the total was 16,100.
By comparison, AIPAD had 8,000, all told, and the ADAA show had 9,500, down from 10,000 in 2008.
There’s no denying that “design” has been hot in recent years, not only because contemporary-art collectors often want things that complement their collections, but also because the housing expansion (and proliferation of huge homes) created new needs for beautiful furnishings.
Yet it’s always hard to gauge the success of fairs, since no one really has to tell the truth about their business. When I visited, there were a lot of red dots on the walls — but they don’t have to mean anything, either.
Still, many dealers told the show’s organizers about specific sales and several gave prices — Joan Merviss, for example, made 29 sales and sold 16 of the 19 opalescent stoneware piece by
Miyashita Zenji. London dealer Joanna Bird sold a series of carved thrown ceramics by Pippin Drysdale (right) for $79,000. Adrian Sassoon said he sold something by every artist he brought to the show. Others offered similar, and more, information.
Among those in the crowd, SOFA says, were real estate developer Larry Silverstein, fashion designers Mary McFadden and Vera Wang, and Charles Bronfman.
SOFA, now back under the ownership of founding director Mark Lyman, plans to launch another version, SOFA WEST: Santa Fe, in June. That’s the best sign of buoyancy.