History in the Making

The American Art Fair celebrates its 15th year with its first live event since November 2019

In 2008 The American Art Fair was established, and today it is the only fair that focuses on American 19th- and 20th-century works of art. For the past two seasons, the fair has held online editions of its 15-year show, but will make its triumphant return to the Bohemian National Hall this spring with a new, permanent time slot. Held this year, May 14 to 17, it will coincide with the opening of spring American Art Week in New York City.Alfredo Ramos Martinez (1872-1946), Los Alfareros, 1931. Conté crayon, pastel and tempera on newsprint, 22 x 16¾ in., signed. Courtesy Mary-Anne Martin Fine Art.

“We hope to rekindle the spark that happens when people are together and looking at art and discussing it in person,” says dealer Thomas Colville, who founded the fair. He adds, “The American Art Fair is the only place where people can come to see the leading dealers in the field of historic art. It’s a vetted show and works span 200 years of American cultural diversity both in terms of style and also tracing the cultural development over 200 years. These are artists who have stood the test of time, and they’ve stood out from others of their contemporaries.”

Collectors and patrons will find more than 400 landscapes, portraits, still lifes, studies and sculpture from 17 premier specialists. Returning exhibitors include Colville, Alexandre Gallery, American Illustrations Gallery, Avery Galleries, Bernard Goldberg Fine Arts LLC, D. Wigmore Fine Art, Debra Force Fine Art, Inc., Forum Gallery, Hirschl & Adler Galleries, Inc., Kraushaar Galleries, Meredith Ward Fine Art and Questroyal Fine Art.Jane Peterson (1876-1965), Boat Landing, Edgartown, 1916. Gouache on paper, 17 x 23¼ in., signed lower left: ‘Jane Peterson’; inscribed verso: ‘Boat Landing Edgartown, 1916 NY WCC’. Courtesy Keny Galleries.Five exhibitors are new to the fair including Francis M. Naumann Fine Art, Graham Shay 1857, Keny Galleries, Mary-Anne Martin Fine Art and Somerville Manning Gallery. These new dealers have expanded the offerings, with Colville adding, “In particular, two new dealers even broaden the range of American art…Mary-Anne Martin is the leading dealer in Latin American art and also has broad experience, and Francis Naumann is one of the leaders in American surrealism and expert in Marcel Duchamp.”

The American Art Fair will have four lectures from leading American art specialists during the run of the show. For complete coverage on the event, look to our May/June 2022 issue. —