Atlanta Art Fair in its largest edition: 83 exhibitors and strong sales on opening night

The Atlanta Art Fair opened its doors on Thursday, October 1, at Pullman Yards, marking the largest edition in its history with 83 exhibitors. The event, which runs until October 4, has brought to the Georgia city a mix of local talent and international names, as The Art Newspaper reports through USA Art News.

The offer includes a wide range: from mixed-media agate slices by Atlanta artist and designer Amy Rader and the painted puzzles of Jeffrey Wilcox Paclipan, to pop-culture icons worked in film strips by artist Michael Kalish. The public projects section contains seven large installations, among them a work by New York artist Rafael Domenech, while the Art of Contemporary Africa gallery from San Francisco presented a canvas and two vessels by South African artist Esther Mahlangu.

Opening-night sales showed a lively market. Dealer Scott Zieher sold three works to private buyers: a carved book by James Allen for $2,800, a photograph by Caroline Allison for $8,000 and a drawing by Anthony Miler for $800. Harlem’s Claire Oliver Gallery sold, within an hour of opening, a tall sculpture by Miami artist Carlos Betancourt for $20,000, while Atlanta’s Luca Fine Art gallery sold a large butterfly portrait by French artist Lis Sam for $30,000.

The artistic director of Art Market Productions (AMP), Nato Thompson, noted this year’s optimistic spirit. “People are pretty desperate… I think emotionally they want something else,” he said, referring to the fair’s lively pop-accented styles. Whitespace gallery founder Susan Bridges called this the best edition: “This is probably the best year. It is a bit more curated.”

Atlanta, the only city with such an art fair, has seen significant growth of its art scene since the pandemic. This year galleries from Charlotte, Los Angeles and Kingston, Jamaica took part, as well as five galleries from Wisconsin, although Atlanta’s galleries continue to dominate. This year’s edition remains open to the public until Sunday, October 4.