He has signed up five of Manhattan’s most prestigious galleries for the new fair, the full title of which is The Fall Fair for International Fine and Decorative Arts.
Joining the exhibitors at the Javits Centre from September 18 to 23 are Adelson Galleries, Berry-Hill Galleries, Forum Gallery, Gerald Peters and Hollis Taggart.
“The commitment of these major American galleries confirms the importance of this inaugural international fair,” says the Florida-based organiser.
One can’t argue with that, or with the organiser’s dedication. Ever an enthusiast, Lester could not wait much beyond 10am London time to phone me with the news – 5am by New York clocks.
The news may come as a surprise to many in the art world who were taken aback at the choice of the downtown Jacob K. Javits Centre for an international antiques fair; Manhattan’s antiques events are almost invariably located at one of the two armories.
However, the organiser is determined to counter the Upper East Side’s reluctance to travel to the Javits by, for example, arranging private cars for clients.
Lester himself is quite happy with the venue claiming: “The scale of the Javits Center allows both dealers and organisers to function within a large scale environment for presentation of artwork.
“It also allows for more elaborate fair enhancements. New York, while hosting a number of smaller speciality fairs, has never used this landmark venue for an annual event of this breadth.
“The proximity of the I.M. Pei designed Javits center to the Chelsea Gallery district provides convenience for industry professionals, curators, those in the design field and collectors to attend.”
Meanwhile Lester and his wife Lee Ann have officially announced the move of their Texas International Fine Art Fair to Houston where next year it will run from April 3 to 9. The event was previously held in Dallas in 2000 and 2001.
Five top US names sign up in coup for Lester’s new Fall Show
AFTER spending much of the summer in London trying to woo British dealers over to his Fall Fair in New York, it was back in America that more recently organiser David Lester achieved his biggest coup so far in launching this new event.
