Fairfield Porter (1907-1975) Morning Sky, 1972. Oil on board, 14 x 16 inches. Offered by Hirschl & Adler Modern.

 Art Southampton, the Hamptons’ premier contemporary and modern art and design fair, is kicking off its fourth edition at a stunning new location. Held at the Nova’s Art Project, a sprawling sculpture park in Bridgehampton, Art Southampton will bring together art and design from the 20th and 21st centuries in a pastoral yet decidedly luxe setting.

Produced by Art Miami LLC, the company behind a number of the country’s top art fairs, including its flagship fair Art Miami, Art Southampton will open with a VIP Private Preview on Thursday, July 9. The posh event, which gives leading collectors, curators, interior designers, and enthusiasts an exclusive glimpse of the fair’s offerings, will benefit the nearby Parrish Art Museum and Southampton Hospital.

Fairfield Porter (1907-1975) Morning Sunlight, 1966. Oil on board, 14 x 15 inches. Offered by Hirschl & Adler Modern.
Fairfield Porter (1907-1975) Twilight, 1975. Oil on board, 14 x 15 inches. Offered by Hirschl & Adler Modern.
Jack Tworkov (1900-1982) House of the Sun Variation, 1952. Oil on canvas, 39 x 35 inches. Inscribed, signed, and dated verso: "UP / 39 x 35 / Tworkov / 52.” Offered by Hollis Taggart Galleries.

In addition to supporting a number of Hamptons-based organizations, Art Southampton features the largest participation of local  galleries of any fair in the Hamptons and highlights some of the East End’s most prolific past and present artists, including Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning, and John Chamberlain. According to Nick Korniloff, Director and Partner of Art Miami LLC, “Our fair has the highest concentration of local galleries participating, which allows us to have a tremendous focus on the important artists, past and present, which lived and worked on the East End represented in the fair. The ambience of Art Southampton and its amenities truly represent the luxury and lifestyle of the East End, and it caters specifically to the audience that vacations here or calls the East End home during the summer.”

According to Ted Holland, Artist Manager and Exhibition Coordinator at New York City’s Hirschl & Adler Modern, connecting with clients who often retreat to the Hamptons for the summer was one of the main reasons that the prestigious gallery signed up for the fair. Holland said, “Personally, I’m looking forward to seeing how the Hamptons art scene and market has grown over the last couple of years. I have been to [Art Southampton] as a visitor a number of times, but this is my first time as an exhibitor. I’m really interested to see how much business is done on the floor,  how visitors react to the work, and to get an idea of where this market is going.”

Elizabeth Turk (b. 1961) Script: Line 240, 2015. Marble, with wooden base, 53 x 12 inches. Offered by Hirschl & Adler Modern.

Hirschl & Adler Modern will be bringing a selection of Fairfield Porter oil paintings to Art Southampton, furthering the connection between the fair and its surroundings. Holland said, “Porter lived in Southampton for a large portion of his life and he painted a lot of the Hamptons’ landscape so we will bring some paintings and drawings of the Southampton area. Hirschl and Adler actually handled his estate for 35 years so it’s nice to sort of showcase our relationship to Porter and his estate and to bring some of his paintings close to home.” Hirschl and Adler will also be exhibiting a new sculpture by the celebrated contemporary artist Elizabeth Turk.

In addition to Hirschl & Adler Modern, notable exhibitors include Hollis Taggart Galleries (New York), which will be exhibiting works by Milton Avery, Audrey Flack, Sam Francis, Hans Hofmann, Alex Katz, Frank Stella, Jack Tworkov, Tom Wesselmann, and a number of other important artists, and Jerald Melberg Gallery (Charlotte), which will be showcasing works by an array of modern art luminaries such as Hans Hofmann and Robert Motherwell. In addition to blue chip modern and contemporary works, including Pablo Picasso’s somber Nature Morte au Compotier (Gladwell & Patterson, London), Alex Katz’s ethereal Two Sisters (Dranoff Fine Art, New York), and an energetic abstract canvas by Jack Tworkov (Hollis Taggart Galleries, New York), Art Southampton will present pieces by emerging artists and for the first time, design and decorative arts.  

Art Southampton, which runs through Monday, July 13, also features a full roster of events, including symposia, artist spotlights, book signings, and home tours.