Affordable Art Fair In Chelsea Has Special Appeal

You don’t have to be a millionaire to pick up some great pieces of art at the Affordable Art Fair, which is being held in Chelsea this weekend. NY1′s Bree Driscoll filed the following report.

From swimming bunnies to golden gummy bears, it’s all for sale at the 16th edition of the Affordable Art Fair.

“We have large pieces, small pieces. We have drawings. We have photography. We have oil paintings. We have sculptures,” said Cristina Salmastrelli, the fair’s director. “Anything and everything that you could think of, we have here. It’s reflective of the city we are in. This population, we are a melting pot in New York City, and this population is very diverse, so this art needs to reflect the diverse tastes that this city has.”

From the traditional to the abstract, the art fills a city block-long building in Chelsea. Prices range from $ 75 to $ 10,000, with most of the pieces under $ 5,000.

While fairs like these are held all over the world, gallery owner Evan Lurie said that the New York edition has a special appeal.

“You tend to find a little bit more exciting market here, and they’re buyers,” Lurie said. “Let’s face it. New Yorkers buy art.”

Organizers said that the goal of the fair is to make art accessible to everyone, no matter their income level or knowledge of the artists.

“Everybody should be affordable,” said artist LA ROC. “It should not just be just Jackson Pollock and Picasso paintings going for everybody. Everybody has to express themselves.”

The fair concept really resonates with casual art lovers, bringing them in the doors in droves.

“I think any time that people can have the opportunity to go see really exciting artwork by new artists, I think that’s really fantastic, ’cause you don’t often see that in museums,” said one attendee.

“New York is such a center of art, I think probably the greatest in the world, and this venue and the affordability of it, I think, is something that really struck us, because most of it is not affordable,” said another.

“We like having them see the art as well, as long as they don’t touch,” said a third.

The fair runs through 6 p.m. Sunday. It takes palce at “The Tunnel,” which is located on 11th Avenue between 27th and 28th Streets. Tickets are $ 15 at the door.

NEWS – NY1

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