SOFA NEW YORK 2008

CHICAGO, December 22, 2008:  Long heralded as the nation’s premier fair for outstanding contemporary decorative arts and design, the 12th International Sculpture Objects & Functional Art Fair in New York City is slated for April 16-19, 2009 at the Park Avenue Armory, moving from its former Memorial Day weekend dates. The opening night preview will be held on Wednesday, April 15, 2009. Mark Lyman, Founder/Director of SOFA and Vice President, dmg Art & Antiques says, “The move was made in response to collector, curators and dealer needs in order to give SOFA NEW YORK a stronger placement on the international art fair calendar.”

SOFA CHICAGO: "A Sweet Spot in the Art Market", Featured in CBS MarketWatch. Perimeter Gallery.

SOFA NEW YORK will follow the lead of the successful 15th SOFA CHICAGO staged at historic Navy Pier, November 7-9, 2008, with dealers reporting solid sales despite the Dow dropping 400 points the day of the opening night preview. No less than CBS MarketWatch of The Wall Street Journal Digital Network reported in its November 20th story, A Sweet Spot in the Art Market: "Fine art auctions have been a tough sell this season, but contemporary decorative pieces sold well at the recent SOFA Chicago Fair.” This story was named one of the Top 10 Personal Finance Daily stories on MarketWatch for the week of November 17-21. SOFA was also recently featured on Bloomberg.com’s  Muse program and the venerable Voice of America will feature interviews lensed at the Chicago show with glass masters Dale Chihuly, Lino Tagliapietra and Lucio Bubacco in the upcoming months on VOAnews.com, translated into 45 languages. View SOFA CHICAGO 2008 wrap report>

	SOFA CHICAGO 2008 Opening Night Preview

Lyman will repeat the successful Opening Night format used in SOFA NEW YORK 2008, when he revamped the evening from an exclusive invitation-only vernissage to a party open to the public by ticket purchase. At the last SOFA NEW YORK evening gala, a total of 2,600 packed the aisles and Armory officials reported the crowds were the largest for any art fair ever on their historic premises. Dealers reported unparalleled sales, with a number achieving six figure prices for a single art work, further confirming the importance of the evening to major collectors. On the fair floor were senior staff members of such financial and corporate firms as UBS, HSBC, Chubb and AXA Fine Art Insurance as well as prominent museum trustees, directors and curators.

Miysahita Zenji Triangular vessel with colored clay overlays graduating in hues of navy to pink, 2003 Stoneware and colored clay Represented by Joan B. Mirviss, Ltd., New York, NY

Among the group of dealers who will participate in SOFA NEW YORK 2009 are: Adrian Sassoon and Joanna Bird Pottery, both from London; Heller Gallery, Joan B. Mirviss and Leo Kaplan Modern, from New York. Leading the way in contemporary and mid-century modern furniture are Moderne Gallery, from Philadelphia and William Zimmer Gallery, from Mendocino, CA as well as wood art specialist, del Mano Gallery, from Los Angeles.  Top textile dealers participating are browngrotta arts, Wilton, CT, Jane Sauer Gallery, Santa Fe, and Lea Sneider, New York; and art jewelry specialists Aaron Faber Gallery, Charon Kransen, Ltd., from New York; and David Collection, Pound Ridge, NY, Mobilia Gallery, Cambridge, MA, Ornamentum, Hudson, NY, Sienna Gallery, Lenox, MA, and Valentin Magro New York.  Also of special note is newcomer Alastair Crawford Gallery, New York, a specialist in Georg Jensen hollowware and jewelry.

Lyman concludes, “Because contemporary decorative arts and design has yet to be marked by a heavy preponderance of speculative buying and flipping, the sales at SOFA reflect the continuing stability of this market. We are looking forward to a successful SOFA NEW YORK and the debut of our new fair SOFA WEST: Santa Fe, on June 11 - 14, 2009, at the brand new state-of-the-art Santa Fe Convention Center in the city’s historic downtown.”

Downloadable high-resolution press images are available in the Press Room