Art Chicago: Carl Hammer Gallery, from Chicago, sold a Martín Ramírez for $100,000, and Russell Bowman Art Advisory, also from Chicago, sold a 1971 Jim Nutt painting for six figures to a private collector. Jerald Melberg Gallery, of Charlotte, North Carolina, sold a six-figure piece as well, among other sales. Chicago’s Carrie Secrist Gallery said it had several museums interested in The Hadal Project, an 11- by 24-foot photo print by Angelo Musco (which will be featured in this year’s Venice Biennale), priced at $115,000. A roughly 4- by 8-foot version of the same piece sold out multiple editions for $16,000, one to Kansas City’s Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, and the even-smaller version, priced at $4,000, sold out too.
“The best part,” said Secrist, “was that no one asked for a discount.”
In general, Chicago galleries seemed to fare particularly well. G.R. N’Namdi Gallery sold four pieces by the fair’s second day to both new and existing clients, and Kavi Gupta, an organizer of and exhibitor at sister show Next, almost completely sold out his booth, which included works by German artist Ulf Puder, among them Mobilien, an oil on canvas for $8,500. Stephen Daiter Gallery, with photos by Wayne Miller, Art Shay, Helmut Newton, and Paul D’Amato, saw steady traffic throughout the fair's run.

Gregory Coates at Art Chicago

Photos: Ilona Pawlak at GR Namdi Gallery - Art Chicago

SURFACE LIBRARY GALLERY hosts TEXTURES
by guest curator Lynn Dunham

June 25 – July 26th
Opening Reception: Saturday June 27th

SURFACE LIBRARY Gallery will host “TEXTURES”, an exhibition of artists as alchemists surveying aesthetic significance from unexpected and repurposed materials. In celebration, SURFACE LIBRARY will host an opening reception on Saturday, June 27th from 6 – 8pm. Guest curator Lynn Dunham of Art Rent & Lease has assembled a group of artists who find unexpected beauty in unusual materials with an emphasis on texture.
Participating artists include international and local artists whose work is currently on rotation with Art Rent and Lease – a cyber-gallery that rents, leases and sells fine art to business and residential clients, including eco-friendly Green Art. Lynn Dunham brings her unique art-acquiring concept to SURFACE LIBRARY in support of emerging and established artists and to promote sustainable, green and environmentally friendly art.

Guest curator Lynn Dunham has chosen works by David M. Mitchell, Vincent Romaniello, Gregory Coates, Matuschka, Gabriel Schuldiner, Roger Thomas Justice, James Kennedy, Lori Glavin and Tanya Bell – all of whom explore texture with unconventional materials. Site-specific work by Lori Glavin and Gregory Coates are relevant to the Art Rent and Lease "green" certification, whereby works are created with re-purposed materials.

SURFACE LIBRARY is an atelier and gallery, co-founded by Irish abstract painter, James Kennedy and potter, Bob Bachler, to create and present their art and design work. The gallery is also proud to present exhibits featuring new artists in multi media.

It is located at 845 Springs Fireplace Road, East Hampton (opposite the Pollock-Krasner House in the Springs District). Gallery hours are Thursday to Sunday from 1pm to 7pm, and by appointment. For more information, please call 631.291.9061, e-mail at info@surfacelibrary.com or visit: http://www.surfacelibrary.com/