NEW YORK, NY.- The seventh edition of
PULSE New York 2012, the leading art fair dedicated to international contemporary art, closed on Sunday, May 6th, after four days of lively sales at the Metropolitan Pavilion in New York City. Held on May 3-6, 2012, the nearly seventy national and international galleries and exhibitors presented works that spanned across all media, from works on paper, painting, and sculpture, to performance, installation, and video art.
“PULSE is a consistent favorite amongst art fair goers, and we are fortunate that our exhibitors bring such rich and diverse content that caters to our audience,” comments Cornell DeWitt, Director. “With our strong sales, widespread support, and attendance, PULSE appeals to collectors of all levels and demonstrates a thriving mid-range market sector. As a longstanding New York fair, PULSE experienced sales across all categories and provided a compelling counterpoint, introducing fresh perspectives on the works of new, emerging, and established artists.”
Sales were strong throughout the fair, with galleries such as Mike Weiss Gallery (New York) and VON LINTEL GALLERY (New York) reconfiguring their booths multiple times with fresh works to accommodate the high turnover. Additional sales highlights included Jan De Vliegher’s painting, “Happy Lovers”, for $20,000 at Mike Weiss Gallery, who also featured Will Kurtz’s crowd-pleasing “Brighton Beach Bench” installation; and Loren Munk’s historiographical painting, “Graphic Representation of the Dialectical Aesthetics of Modernism 1900-2000”, for $16,000, and the Whitney Biennial’s Andrew Masullo paintings from $6,000-18,000 at Daniel Weinberg Gallery (Los Angeles)
International galleries achieved sales success as well, with LAWRIE SHABIBI (Dubai) selling Sama Alshaibi’s video installation for $9,000, as well as engravings by Adeel uz Zafar and works by Shahpour Pouyan on the first day of the Fair. Works that were purchased at GALERIE RICHARD (New York, Paris) included Beverly Fishman’s glass pill structures and Paul Henry Ramirez’s paintings; David Lusk Gallery (Memphis) sold out all works offered by Deborah Kass; and Richard Levy Gallery (New York) sold out all paintings by William Betts. GALERIE STEFAN ROEPKE (Cologne/ Madrid), presenting scientific and neurologically-based works; and Habana (Havana), exhibiting local Cuban artists, also reported favorable sales.
Common amongst this year’s exhibitors was the presentation of introspective, precise works, such as Man&Eve’s (London) weavings by Larissa Nowicki, PULSE Miami 2011’s PULSE Prize winner; Carrie Secrist Gallery’s (Chicago) Anne Lindberg meticulous architectural string installation and sculpture; DAVIDSON CONTEMPORARY’s (New York) works on paper by British artist, Sam Messenger; PATRICK HEIDE CONTEMPORARY ART’s (London) offerings by Thomas Müller and Karoly Kesarü; Gallery Joe’s (Philadelphia) drawings by Mia Rosenthal; and Halsey McKay Gallery’s (Hamptons) strapping tape lightboxes by Chris Duncan.
Popular exhibitions at the fair included a life-sized taxidermy horse by controversial artist TINKEBELL, called “My Little Pony”, which was displayed at TORCH (Amsterdam); Courtney Love’s debut works on paper and David LaChapelle’s newly unveiled photographs at FRED TORRES COLLABORATIONS (New York); Fred Wilson’s “Reign” and “Sneaky Leaky”, courtesy of Rena Brensten Gallery (San Francisco); and Tracey Moffatt’s “First Job” series at Tyler Rollins Fine Art (New York). PULSE Projects included well-received performances by Shannon Gillen & Guests, and INNER COURSE, presented by Honey Space (New York); and City Surface, 2012,an architectural-inspired piece by Elizabeth Stevens & Co. Prize recipient, Lead Pencil Studio’s Annie Han + Daniel Mihalyo,and courtesy of Lawrimore Project (Seattle).
IMPULSE exhibitors also recorded high sales, with Black & White Gallery / Project Space (Brooklyn) and Porter / Contemporary (New York) selling most of their offerings; and Creative Capital (New York) selling out of Eve Sussman’s stereographic series, “Elevated Train”. The PULSE Prize, a cash grant dedicated to an emerging artist of distinction in the IMPULSE section of the fair, was awarded to Estonian photographer Sigrid Viir, whose installations were exhibited at Temnikova & Kasela Gallery (Tallinn).
