The most comprehensive international contemporary art show in America is ready to present a large lineup of art and cultural programming for the city of Los Angeles. The fair will take place in Los Angeles Convention Center from February 5 - 9, 2020.
After decades of hard work – exactly 25 years - Director Kim Martindale and his team by increasingly collaborating with international galleries, acclaimed artists, regarded curators, and other important experts have succeeded in creating an innovative and exceptional cultural environment for the entire Art World. In order to better understand all the complex steps the fair went through the years - both in the past and present - we collected some fundamental information and director statements.
“25 years ago when I began the LA Art Show, there weren’t any big art fairs here,” says Martindale. “This is one of the most creative cities on the planet, and I always hoped that we would become a major art capital. I felt it was important for the city to have a show of its own, to help put us on the map in the larger art world. I created the LA Art Show to establish us as a marketplace.”
LA Art Show in time has become an important example of how the presence of an art fair can boost the rise of important institutions and museums, but most of all, a higher sensibility of the local community in proactive participation in the city cultural life. Just to talk by numbers, since 2013 in LA 50 galleries have opened their space. In that same time frame, three brand new world-class museums and institutions have opened, all rivaling MOCA in size, as the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures or the $1 billion dollars Lucas Museum of Narrative Art.
"What makes the LA Art Show truly unique is that we're always adapting, growing and changing to reflect LA. The LA Art show is not just about one type of art, even though almost all other art fairs have a theme. And that's really their function: to be an all-Asian show, or a Latin-American show, or a cutting edge contemporary show. The LA Art show is really about bringing the entire, diverse world of art to Los Angeles in a way that other art fairs don’t try to do, and we’ve been succeeding at it for 25 years."
Another strategy to highlight is the fair ability to become a reference point for the Pacific area. Indeed, the LA Art Show features the most extensive Asian arts programming in America. Last year, the fair showcased a massive collection of ink painting that included historic and contemporary art from Japan, Korea and China. But the attention of the fair is for all the globe. This year LA Art Show will host over 100 galleries from 18 different countries around the world and the New European Pavilion Section will be an addition.
"The LA Art Show is one of the world’s largest and longest-running fairs, with 200,000 square feet of exhibition space and close to over 70,000 attendees this past year. As Los Angeles takes its place as a vanguard of the global art scene, our ability to adapt and evolve to meet the art market’s current trends is something that galleries and exhibitors continue to appreciate."
The European Pavilion will shine a spotlight on the profound influence that European art has had on the world, with participating galleries curating exhibits that highlight the various movements and stylistic developments that have defined much of Western art. Within this new section will be a special exhibit showcasing Catalan artists from 1900 to present, offering a glimpse into the modern art history of the region.
"We really embrace our role as the pan-pacific region’s preeminent art fair. We like to showcase a very wide array of galleries here, and it works because we have such a diverse collector base. This year, Patrick Painter Gallery, SM Fine Art, Zeal House, Mizuma Art Gallery and Kamiya Co., LTD are all returning for the CORE section. For the first time ever, we will be hosting a special programming section named the European Pavilion, highlighting the world-class exhibitors hailing from Western Europe. As part of the Featured Exhibition lineup, last year’s “Ink,” a pan-Asian ink painting showcase, is returning even larger and will feature work from the Tokyo National Museum, CoSpace (China), Gallery Kitai (Japan), and many other exhibitors. We're the only show outside of Asia that pays tribute to ink painting, and I’m really proud of the way the LA Art Show brings together so many different art movements." Last but not least, for the most art addict not to be missed will be the third edition of DIVERSEartLA. Curated by Marisa Caichiolo, this section it's dedicated to giving more visibility to institutions, artists and non-profits from Southern California, around the Pacific Rim, and beyond, by donating 20,000 square feet of exhibition space to the participating organizations.
Cover image: Gerard Mas, Dama Del Chicle 2, 3 Punts Galeria. Courtesy of LA Art Show