Laura Schnitger, Suffragette City, 2015-2017, Courtesy of Anton Kern Gallery, New York, IN/SITU Installation. Image and details courtesy of EXPO CHICAGO.
Two weeks ago EXPO CHICAGO kicked off the fall art season at Chicago’s historic Navy Pier with great success. With 135 galleries exhibiting, extensive programming, special art gallery events, and the opening of the Chicago Architecture Biennial, the city was teeming with energy.
President and Director of EXPO CHICAGO Tony Karman heralded in a strong undercurrent of hometown pride this year with many galleries exhibiting their artists with ties to Chicago. Additional programming with various Chicago institutions created strong ties between exhibiting galleries and artists. Such visibility and relationships are invaluable galleries and institutions alike.
Karman brought together the celebrated Art Institute of Chicago, renowned collectors, universities, various non-profits from across the globe, and even Mayor Rahm Emanuel to champion the shift in Chicago’s cultural composition reminding all of us of Chicago’s important and indisputable role in the art world.
We applaud Tony Karman’s success with EXPO CHICAGO 2017 and highlight the artworks sold including those purchased by Suzanne Lovell Inc. on behalf of our collector clients.
James Krone, Onap pol Lechard, 2016 (left) and Onish Th’apaar, 2016 (right), each 78 3/4″ H X 39 1/2″ W. Images and details courtesy of Kavi Gupta Gallery.
Kavi Gupta Gallery enjoyed a positive exhibition with a well designed booth and coordinating events at his large West Loop gallery.
We started off EXPO by acquiring two stunning paintings by James Krone for a client. By Thursday afternoon Gupta had placed Nick Cave’s Hustle Coat, 2017, and Tony Tasset’s Untitled (Snowman), 2017, which sold in the range of $120,000 to $150,000.
A similar Untitled (Snowman) by Tony Tasset. Image courtesy of Kavi Gupta Gallery.
Lévy Gorvy sold numerous works upon the opening of the fair. These artworks were intentionally included in the exhibition and director Emilio Steinberger wanted to place these with his Chicago collectors.
Pat Steir, Untitled, 2004, Oil on canvas, 84″ H x 73 1/2″ W. Image and details courtesy of Judd Tully.
These sold artworks included a large untitled 2004 painting by Pat Steir, Dan Colen’s The Underground Rises Again (2015) cleverly composed of metal studs on canvas, and an untitled work by Carol Rama executed in 1968.
Dan Colen, The Underground Rises Again, 2015, Studs on canvas, 105″ H x 85″ W. Image and details courtesy of Judd Tully.
We attended EXPO each day with well planned strategies and carefully considered our clients’ needs and tastes as we planned.
Our purchasing success did not stop with the works by James Krone. We effectively negotiated on behalf of our clients and confidently acquired artworks perfectly suited for our clients’ unique needs.
Erik Madigan Heck, The Absorbed Tradition, 2014, chromogenic print, 60″ H X 48″ W. Image and details courtesy of Weinstein Gallery.
Purchased by Suzanne Lovell Inc. from Weinstein Gallery was a powerful chromogenic print of a geisha by Minnesota native Erik Madigan Heck.
Heck is one of the youngest photographers to receive the ICP Infinity Award (2013). In 2015 he was awarded with the Art Directors Club’s Gold Medal and the AI-IP American Photography award for his Old Masters Portfolio. He regularly contributes to The New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, TIME, The New Yorker, and Harper’s Bazaar UK.
Clive Smith, Beak, Claw, Hand, Brush (Killer Buildings), 2017. Oil on canvas, 56″ H X 56″ W. Image and details courtesy of Marc Straus.
Another client acquisition by Suzanne Lovell Inc. was a recent work from Clive Smith for atop a fireplace mantel.
Smith contrasts the fragility and highly valued antique ceramic plates with simple bird nests centered within the pattern of the antique plate. He contrasts the object made by man and the naturally occurring structure.
Here, Smith contrasts the structures man relies on with the structures nature relies on for growth. Present in Smith’s depiction is the intersection of man and nature with remnants and man-made materials weaved into the bird nest.
David Burdeny, Reggia di Venaria, Torino, Italy, 2016. Edition 4 of 5. Chromogenic print, 59″ H X 73 1/2″ W. Image and details courtesy of Galerie de Bellefeuille.
We purchased this mesmerizing chromogenic print by David Burdeny for a client’s dining room. The incredible scale, detail, and contrast of the dramatic interior architecture will allow for much admiration by the owners and dinner guests.
Armed with a Masters in Architecture and Interior Design, Burdeny’s passion is evident in his work. His photography represents not only what is depicted but his personal experiences of these mystifying and brilliant locations.
Jean-François Rauzier, Merchandise Mart, 2014. Chromogenic print on aluminum. 71″ H X 80.3″ W. Image and details courtesy of Waterhouse & Dodd.
We agree with Matthew Witkovsky’s assessment of EXPO CHICAGO. The curator and chair of the Art Institute of Chicago’s photography department says EXPO feels less much commercial than other large fairs.
Chicago collectors are very thoughtful and intentional in their acquisitions, a trait which uniquely sets them apart from art collectors across the world. A savvy Chicago art collector is eager to ignite and nurture trusting and confident relationships with galleries.
By attending art fairs and maintaining our strong relationships with art galleries worldwide, Suzanne Lovell Inc. is well poised to offer our clients the finest works of art. EXPO CHICAGO 2017 was successful for not only for us and our clients, but was also an overall success for EXPO and the City of Chicago.