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As one of the most expensive cities in the world, New York is the last place anyone expects to find a bargain, and when shopping in the art market, nothing ever goes on sale. The AAF Contemporary Art Fair, more commonly referred to as the Affordable Art Fair is New York City’s Century 21 equivalent to the art world. With all fine artwork more than 50% off, AAF is the only annual art fair selling fine art in all media for under $5,000 and this June the AAF successfully wrapped up its fifth year. The AAF NYC is not your typical art fair designed for savvy collectors, dealers and consultants looking to hone in on all the latest and greatest artists that come out of Matthew Marks and Mary Boone. |
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Affordable Art Fair – Laura Perry
As one of the most expensive cities in the world, New York is the last place anyone expects to find a bargain, and when shopping in the art market, nothing ever goes on sale. The AAF Contemporary Art Fair, more commonly referred to as the Affordable Art Fair is New York City’s Century 21 equivalent to the art world. With all fine artwork more than 50% off, AAF is the only annual art fair selling fine art in all media for under $5,000 and this June the AAF successfully wrapped up its fifth year.
The AAF NYC is not your typical art fair designed for savvy collectors, dealers and consultants looking to hone in on all the latest and greatest artists that come out of Matthew Marks and Mary Boone. By exhibiting new emerging artists, AAF NYC attracts an altogether entirely different clientele, inviting first-time buyers and new collectors into an environment comfortable enough to wear jeans and sneakers. AAF management aims to bring in a younger crowd of art lovers who may be too intimidated to buy artwork from a gallery. At the AAF the average visitor can purchase artwork without having to charge it on several credit cards.
It may have been the fifth time for the fair in New York City but fans of the AAF may have noticed some significant modifications. Formerly a Fall event, this year’s AAF NYC was held from June 16th–18th, 2006. In addition to the new summer time slot was location, in previous years’ AAF NYC was held Armory Show-esque, on the west side piers, across the West Side highway, and literally blocks from all subway and bus lines; which to say is more or less inaccessible to those of us without cars or cab fare.
Despite its new transformation, this year’s AAF NYC was a raving success, and according to fair staff, this year’s fair owes much of its success to its new, perfect, and likely permanent location. Held in Manhattan’s Metropolitan Pavilion in the heart of Chelsea, this area has been Mecca for contemporary art lovers for the past decade. This time the fair was central to mass transit and perfectly accessible to the city’s downtown scenesters and hipsters coming via L train from Williamsburg, home to Brooklyn’s art scene.
In addition to where and when, AAF founder Will Ramsey decided to make the boldest move yet and cut the number of exhibitors from a previous 147 to 78. The fair’s director, Lauren Potters, claims this decision was made to offer a more intimate environment between client and dealer. With 78 galleries exhibiting approximately 3-10 artists each, an estimated total of 1,263 works were sold. The average price of artwork was around $1,500 and overall sales totaled to $2 million. The new Chelsea location brought in 7,000 visitors and the Thursday evening preview hit a record of 2,000 visitors.
AAF NYC fair director, Lauren Potters confirmed that with the new centralized location, visitor attendance was up, and even though there were almost half of the number of exhibitors, sales were very strong, and some former exhibiting gallerists explained that this year’s fair was their best yet.
The Affordable Art Fair started in London in 1999 by founder Will Ramsey, and due to its ever-expanding success has since been held in New York, Sydney, Melbourne and Bristol.
