Source: Houston Chronicle | Sep. 16 2012
It looked like all of Houston’s most stylish, arty society turned out for the opening night of the Houston Fine Art Fair, which benefited the Glassell School of Art.

Executive director Rick Friedman, creative consultant Fran Kaufman and local advisers Melissa Grobmyer and Janet Hobby were beaming as exhibitors, collectors and artists congratulated them on the fair’s smart layout, mix of booth types (for internationally known galleries as well as emerging spaces) and diverse, quality offerings. Read the rest of this entry →

Source: culturemap Houston | Sep. 23, 2012

Photo by Julie Knutson. Devorah Sperber, After Picasso, 2006, 5024 spools of thread, aluminum ball chain, clear acrylic spheres and steel stand, courtesy of Bentley Gallery, Scottsdale, Ariz.

Those who attended the bustling opening night party for the Houston Fine Art Fair won’t be surprised to hear that the second annual art show broke last year’s attendance numbers, starting with a whopping 3,000 on opening night.

In its new digs at the Reliant Center, the HFAF for its duration squeezed in more than 12,000 art aficionados — an increase of roughly 2,000 attendees as compared to the fair’s 2011 debut at the George R. Brown. This year’s move to a slightly larger venue saw higher booth walls and wider interior avenues, easily absorbing the extra guests and improving the overall flow. A recent HFAF press release estimates that sales at Reliant reached well into the millions.

“One of our major efforts in Houston is to try to expand the art market and I think that definitely happened this year at Reliant,” noted fair organizer Rick Friedman. Read the rest of this entry →

Source: Glasstire | Sep 23, 2012
According to the official press release, the second annual Houston Fine Art Fair (HFAF) exceeded its organizer’s expectations: “12,000 attended, millions of dollars changed hands. Over 2,000 works, from 500 respected artists, were offered from 80 galleries representing 12 countries and 34 cities.”

Despite more mixed, and less fact-filled anecdotes about the fair’s performance from visitors and participating galleries, everyone liked the wider aisles and 12-foot high walls.
Source: Glasstire | Sep 23, 2012