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Palm Springs Art Fair Entrance
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Palm Springs Art Fair Interior
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Palm Springs Art Fair Interior 2
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Palm Springs Art Fair - Jennifer Kostuik Gallery
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Palm Springs Art Fair - Jennifer Kostuik Gallery 2
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Palm Springs Art Museum entrance
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Palm Springs Art Museum Sculpture Garden
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Palm Springs Art Museum Foyer
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Palm Springs Art Museum Foyer (Moore Sculpture)
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Palm Springs Art Museum Upper Levels
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Palm Springs Art Museum Upper Levels 2
Toured the Palm Springs Fine Art Fair on Saturday, Feb 15. In its third year, it claimed 55 galleries from 33 cities representing more than 300 artists. Galleries from France, Korea, Argentina, the UK, Belgium and, yes, Canada gave it some international flavour.
But size is not the objective here. In fact in his catalogue introduction, the Show Director, Rick Friedman emphasizes the quality and describes the Fair as "...limited in size... with a ...cozy, boutique flavour."
I enjoyed catching up with Jennifer Kostuik, the lone Canadian gallery presence at the Fair. As a bonus, she was pleased to have the sculpture "Ready, Set, Go 2014" (see accompanying image) by her artist Matt Devine, shown as one of only six public art pieces featured at the Fair. This was her second year and she reported the Thursday gala preview (a fundraiser on behalf of the Palm Springs Art Museum) was again jam-packed -- a great social and fundraising success -- although she observed with a smile, not necessarily conducive to the business of selling art.
It was also the annual Modernism Week in Palm Springs, featuring guided tours of selected homes of high architectural merit mostly built in the 40s and 50s.
The free-admission Palm Springs Art Museum was quite literally an art oasis. On a late Thursday afternoon (when the nearby main street is closed for a weekly 'Festival') the gallery was teeming with people. The counter-clicking security guard said they only do head counts on Thursdays and the weekend but noted they would probably have 600 people that day. The hushed 'buzz' created a pleasing energy and no wonder as visitors were greeted at the entrance with works by major artists in every direction. And visitors were most curious to inspect the current showing of gifts and promised gifts.
The gallery is not huge but the two 'balcony' levels add a substantial wall space.