Discover the Highlights of Art Palm Springs

The eighth iteration of Art Palm Springs kicked off in the southern city of California on February 14, coinciding with the midcentury architecture and design event Modernism Week as well as the inaugural edition of British import Frieze Art Fair in Los Angeles. Greeting the throng of local visitors and international collectors at the Convention Center is a striking nine-foot fiberglass sculpture by David Černy from a series the Czech artist debuted at the Chicago Museum of Modern Art in 1994.

Atmosphere at Art Palm Springs 2019. Photo: Courtesy of Art Palm Springs

Nearing its first decade in the art market, the fair resumes its tradition of introducing a broad perspective on postwar and contemporary art not only from cultural hubs such as New York and Los Angeles, but also from different parts of the country, including Texas, Florida, and even Utah. The fair’s commitment to its local roots pairs with a sprinkling of international galleries from destinations as remote as South Korea and Argentina.

James Wolanin at Caldwell Snyder Gallery. Photo: Courtesy of Art Palm Springs

“With all our fairs, we pride ourselves on creating a unique experience in locations that provide a little getaway for you to discover amazing art in a more intimate setting,” group show director Leah Steinhardt tells Galerie. “This concept of ‘discovery’ is something we hold dear to our hearts and hope that during this show, and many more to come, there will always be something new for you to take home—whether it’s a great piece of art or wonderful, lasting memories.”

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The annual Artist of the Year award goes this year to Los Angeles painter Joe Goode, who has been a West Coast fixture with his lush juxtapositions of form and color for over five decades. Among the highlights is San Diego–based Quint Gallery, exhibiting in its second year at the fair an impressive booth occupied by Jean Lowe’s tapestry installation, Carpet Showroom, alongside other artists from its roster. The winner of the Palm Springs Art Museum’s best booth award is New York’s Vallarino Fine Art, with an elegantly hung selection of paintings by Larry Poons (the subject of the highly popular art-market documentary The Price of Everything), Norman Bluhm, Hans Hofmann, and Esteban Vicente.

Anthony James at Melissa Morgan Fine Art. Photo: Courtesy of Art Palm Springs

San Francisco– and Saint Helena–based Caldwell Snyder joins the fair with work by Brad Howe, whose eclectic sculpture of geometric forms and jubilant colors is among the crowd-pleasers. “Having participated in numerous international art fairs, the gallery finds the Palm Springs Art Fair to be an exciting venue of savvy, fresh, and experienced art collectors who respond positively to our important contemporary and midcareer artists,” says gallery director Susan Snyder about the fair’s role in blending established artists with fresh talent.

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Of the booths boasting younger, more emerging talent, Melissa Morgan Fine Arts is a standout with a selection of engaging sculpture and material-heavy works on paper. From Flame Boy, Alex Couwenberg’s earth-toned geometric illustration, to Anthony James’s Kθ, an eye-catching sculpture of a burned Ferrari and florescent lights within a glass vitrine, the checklist promises a notably diverse range of artistic practices and media for a broad taste. Gallery ALL, a design gallery from Beverly Hills and Beijing, presents a selection of designers experimenting with notions of beauty, function, and form. Aranda/Lasch, Zhipeng Tan, and Michael Young are among the names tying classical design elements to a contemporary sensibility.

Art Palm Springs is open to the public at the Palm Springs Convention Center through February 18, 2019.