LOS ANGELES, CA.- The seventh edition of Art Los Angeles Contemporary came to a close on Sunday, January 31, with record ticket sales at the box office, reports of robust sales from the fair's roster of 83 exhibitors, and opening night attendance from influential collectors, museum directors and groups, advisors, publishers, and artists. With strong, leading presentations from emerging galleries in the Freeways section, a welcome addition of Independent Publishers, and an expanded program of talks, lectures, and performances, this year was the fair's strongest and most ambitious, with over 15,000 guests in attendance over the weekend.

"This was the year to expand," said Tim Fleming, owner and director of Art Los Angeles Contemporary. "I was delighted to hear of strong sales from both new and returning galleries. Due to our expanded talks and lectures program fair attendance was higher than ever before. Without question ALAC started what is now a very important weekend in Los Angeles' contemporary art calendar and we look forward to coming back next year in our eighth edition, January 26-29, 2017."

Exhibitors
Among the 20 galleries exhibiting at ALAC for the first time were Henrique Faria, Buenos Aires/New York; Bureau, New York, showing photographic works by Erica Baum; Kayne Griffin Corcoran, Los Angeles, reporting strong opening night sales of new sculptural works by Rosha Yaghmai; and Galerie Bernard Ceysson, Luxembourg/Paris/Geneva/St-Etienne, showing paintings by Sadie Laska and fabric works by Claude Viallat. Among the fair's most exciting new features was the Freeways section, dedicated to galleries younger than four years old showing work by no more than two artists. Those 12 participants included Michael Jon Gallery from Miami, reporting their presentation of Lucite furniture by Charles Hollis Jones an "incredible success," as well as Evelyn Yard from London, REGARDS from Chicago, and MIER GALLERY from Los Angeles.

"As a first time exhibitor but a regular attendee for the last seven years, it was always clear to me that I wanted to participate at the fair," said owner and founder Nino Mier, reporting a sold-out presentation of paintings by Los Angeles artist Louise Bonnet. "I think it is vital to support your own city and participate in your own backyard but also it gives you an opportunity to do a thoughtful presentation of your program and have a real dialogue with local and visiting collectors. I could not be happier with my experience and the response to Louise Bonnet was staggering."

Art Los Angeles Contemporary welcomed back a number of returning exhibitors, all reporting strong sales and appearances from a loyal collector base. Local exhibitors included Night Gallery, TIF SIGFRIDS, Nicodim Gallery, and David Kordansky Gallery, debuting a new body of work by Matthew Brannon; Shane Campbell Gallery from Chicago, presenting works on paper by Mimi Lauter and William J. O'Brien; Edel Assanti, London; Jack Hanley Gallery and CANADA, from New York; and STANDARD (OSLO), Oslo.

"ALAC is definitely the fair of Los Angeles, and its model based on proximity and quality is definitely the future of art fairs," said René Julien Praz, co-owner of Praz-Delavallade, Paris, reporting a sold-out solo presentation of paintings by Matthew Chambers. "The size of the fair makes it very easy to engage with visitors and collectors and build lasting relationships with them. Collectors here are very loyal and don't have taboos like in Europe. They are here to buy, and they do buy. We've been returning to L.A. for several years now and this is our favorite fair to participate in. We love L.A. and its artists and we love ALAC."

Opening night attendance
The fair's integral position in Los Angeles was reflected in its opening night attendance. Attendees at the First Preview, VIP Reception, and Opening Night receptions on Thursday, January 28 included MOCA director Philippe Vergne and Sylvia Chivaratanond; curators Aram Moshayedi, Ali Subotnick, Connie Butler, Anne Ellegood, and director Anne Philbin of the Hammer Museum; Thao Nguyen of CAA; collectors including Michael and Joyce Ostin, Don and Mera Rubell, Michael and Susan Hort, Mark Fluent, Mandy and Cliff Einstein, James F. Goldstein, Gail Hollander, John Geresi, Christopher Walker, Joy and Jerry Monkarsh, Valeria and Pierpaolo Barzan, David Hoberman, Darren Romanelli; Stefan Simchowitz, Oliver and Carole Server Frankel, Eugene Sadovoy, Alberto Chehebar, and Irving Blum; artists Jonas Wood, Rebecca Morris, and Anna Sew Hoy; Matt Berninger of The National; designer Jasmin Shokrian; Bettina Korek; Lauri Firstenberg of LAXART; Shamim Momin, director of LAND; Carolyn Ramo, executive director of Artadia; actors Ellen Paige, Jesse Williams, Emily Ratajkowski, Lisa Edelstein, and Fran Drescher; and Lauren Taschen.

Collector Dean Valentine cited the fair's intimate setting, the "vibrant" young gallerists, and maturation of its exhibitors as reasons for its ongoing success. "I've been coming here since the start and the quality has increased. When the fair started many years ago some of the galleries were much younger. As they've grown, and their clientele has grown, the quality of the artists they show has grown along with them. When you look around, you see artists who already have reputations mixed in with younger artists as well. It's a broader mix and a higher quality mix overall."

Museum groups
With over 20 museum and nonprofit groups from around the world, the fair had strong institutional attendance as well. On opening day, a group of patrons and collectors from LACMA was waiting to enter at 2pm for the fair's First Preview. Artadia, the nonprofit organization led by Carolyn Ramo, toured the fairgrounds with its board of directors. Other museum, school and nonprofit groups in attendance during the weekend hailed from the California Institute of the Arts; Centre Pompidou Foundation; Columbus Museum of Art; Hammer Museum; ICA Miami; LACMA; Laguna Art Museum; LAXART; MAD Museum; MCA Santa Barbara; The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; MIT List Visual Arts Center; Museum of Latin American Art; Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego; Otis College of Art and Design Board of Governors; Palm Springs Art Museum; Pasadena Museum of California Art; Rhode Island School of Design (RISD); San Diego Museum of Art, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, School of the Art Institute of Chicago; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA); Skirball Cultural Center; and The Studio Museum in Harlem.