Intimate Hamptons Upstairs Art Fair To Highlight Over Ten Galleries

The 3rd annual Upstairs Art Fair will return to the Hamptons on Friday, July 19.

“For our third iteration of the fair, we’re happy to welcome back galleries like Rachel Uffner and Eric Firestone,” Bill Powers, Half Gallery Founder and Upstairs Art Fair Co-Founder, shared. “It’s also exciting to feature new entries such as CANADA and Jack Hanley to keep things fresh.”

“Bill and I set out to create a casual, intimate fair, but with great art,” Harper Levine, Harper’s Books Founder and Upstairs Art Fair Co-Founder, added.

The 2019 iteration will highlight Anna Zorina Gallery, Bill Brady Gallery, CANADA, Ceysson & Bénétière, Deli Gallery, Eric Firestone Gallery, Halsey McKay Gallery, Harper’s Books, Half Gallery, Jack Barrett, Jack Hanley Gallery, Marinaro Gallery, New Release, Rachel Uffner Gallery, and 56 Henry.

“In years past it’s been a thrill to see artists like Rashid Johnson and David Salle stop by the fair as well as curators from major New York institutions like The Whitney,” Powers noted. “That is very much a trajectory we hope to continue.”

As for artists, Anna Weyant, John Bradford, Katherine Bernhardt, Tyson Reeder, Franck Chalendard, Sadie Laska, Alina Perez, Alexandria Tarver, Matthew Leifheit, Paul Metrinko, Mimi Gross, Adrianne Rubenstein, Cassi Namoda, Marcus Brutus, Scott Kahn, Austin Eddy, Hiejin Yoo, Daniel Heidkamp, Amy Brener, Haley Josephs, Paul Rouphail, Rasmus Myrup, Dani Orchard, Alessandro Teoldi, Anthony Iacono, Jeff Perrone, RJ Supa, Michael Childress, Bianca Beck, Joanne Greenbaum, and more will be represented.

“This stripped down approach, which we pioneered, places emphasis on art and artists, rather than large convention halls and corporate sponsorship,” Levine relayed. “Bill and I have also kept the application process casual. We reach out to galleries, and galleries know where to find us. There’s no formal vetting, nothing political, as is so often the case with other fairs.”

Once again, the Fair will take over the top floor of a three-story Amagansett red barn that once housed an arts school.

“Since we started Upstairs, we have seen other fairs open mimic our concept,” Levin revealed. “Felix, in LA, for instance, is hosted at a hotel, with each gallery having a room.”

When first establishing the Fair, the duo wanted to keep the background minimal to provide a more organic feel that evokes a salon style exposition.

“Until Upstairs the Hamptons only had over-produced, corporate fairs, heavy on the champagne, and light on the connoisseurship,” Levine said. “This model, clearly, was failing.”

The 3rd annual Upstairs Art Fair will be on display Friday, July 19 from 6 to 8 p.m., as well as Saturday, July 20 and Sunday, July 21 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“It’s interesting to see the proliferation of smaller boutique fairs like Felix in LA or the Marfa Invitational in Texas,” Powers added. “I think art people are craving a more intimate setting.”

“Over the past several years, the contemporary art scene in the Hamptons has developed. Just on Newtown Lane alone, there are five quality galleries, and many more in the surrounding area,” Levine concluded. “Upstairs plays off this energy by featuring local Hamptons galleries as well as galleries from New York City and beyond.”

Admission to the Upstairs Art Fair is free.

Upstairs Art Fair is located at 11 Indian Wells in Amagansett. For more information, visit www.upstairsartfair.com.