Black Eyed Susan, David Salle, 2011, available at Artspace.
Founded by Max Fishko and Jeffrey Wainhause, artMRKT Hamptons is the second of three major art fairs on the East End this summer. (ArtHamptons precedes it, and Art Southampton follows.) “We wanted to build a fair that paralleled the community,” says Fishko. “This isn’t New York City in May or Miami in December; we have tailored it to what the Hamptons wants—something easy, manageable, and very high quality.”
With more than 6,000 visitors and 33 exhibitors last year, there were 170-plus visitors per gallery. This year artMRKT Hamptons comprises 41 galleries—including Lennon, Weinberg Inc., Nancy Hoffman Gallery, P.P.O.W., DC Moore Gallery, and Halsey McKay Gallery—in 10,000 square feet of exhibition space.
The Brooklyn-based founders lend the production a young, hip air. The opening night event, catered by renowned Brooklyn chef and Wolfgang Puck veteran Leon Gunn, will benefit the Parrish Art Museum. Palm Ale and Fire Island Beer Company are both sponsors. Artspace, an online art portal founded by Christopher Vroom and Catherine Levene, partners with artMRKT to provide participating galleries with an online showcase of artwork for sale. Fair attendees and non-visitors alike can explore works online and make remote purchases. Fishko says during their first collaboration with Artspace, artMRKT San Francisco in May, one prominent collector bought a $6,500 piece from his smart phone while still at the fair.
Innovative thinking permeates all aspects of artMRKT Hamptons— from the targeted audience and focus on the gallery experience to the realistic reflection of how an art fair fits into a Hamptons weekend. It’s an approach that takes into account what Fishko feels defines the Hamptons: “refined taste with a casual attitude.”
ArtMRKT Hamptons is held July 19–22 on the Bridgehampton Historical Society grounds, 2368 Montauk Hwy., Bridgehampton, 212-518-6912
