This yr’s version of The Artwork Present, an annual artwork truthful held by the Artwork Sellers Affiliation of America (ADAA) in New York since 1988, has been referred to as off by organisers in what was termed a “strategic pause” in an e-mail despatched to ADAA members this week. The information was first reported by Artnews.
“It is a pause, not a cancellation of the truthful,” a spokesperson for the ADAA advised The Artwork Newspaper in a press release. “This choice was not a response to monetary strain, nor was it a mirrored image of exhibitor curiosity—our members stay deeply engaged and dedicated.”
The ADAA says it’ll use the time to reassess and strengthen The Artwork Present’s truthful mannequin. All exhibitors have been contacted, and organisers have outlined subsequent steps for refunding exhibitor charges, a spokesperson advised The Artwork Newspaper. The truthful will reconvene in 2026, organisers advised members of their e-mail, including the pause “permits us to guage how greatest to help our members, companions and the broader arts neighborhood in an evolving cultural and market panorama”.
In April, the most recent Artwork Basel/UBS Artwork Market Report discovered that world gross sales of artwork and antiques fell for a second consecutive yr in 2024, by 12% to an estimated $57.5bn. Concerning artwork gala’s, particularly, the research discovered that whereas sellers reported gross sales elevated barely year-on-year, the share of gross sales made at gala’s and different dwell occasions nonetheless do not match what they had been earlier than the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Artwork Present was slated to start on 28 October with a profit preview to boost cash for Henry Road Settlement, an organisation based mostly on Manhattan’s Decrease East Facet that helps social providers, arts and healthcare programmes for New Yorkers. As a substitute, the ADAA is now directing donations to an internet fundraising marketing campaign. Having raised greater than $38m for Henry Road Settlement over three a long time, The Artwork Present has been the nonprofit’s largest fundraiser.
“That chapter has come to an in depth, and we’re grateful for the affect we achieved collectively,” the ADAA spokesperson stated in a press release about its partnership with the Henry Road Settlement. “Because the cultural panorama shifts, the ADAA is evolving to fulfill the second—refocusing our philanthropic efforts to help a broader, nationwide arts ecosystem.”
Final yr, the ADAA launched a brand new programme at The Artwork Present referred to as Highlight On…, meant to spotlight member gallery stands from cities exterior of New York.
