SeaFair, David Lester’s $20 million venture into the trendy world of art fairs, is scheduled to make its maiden voyage to Greenwich, CT, arriving on September 25, 2007. The 228-foot-long yacht named the Grand Luxe, will be arriving in New York City’s Chelsea Piers on from October 9 – 14. Problems such as shortages of steel and workers have postponed their initial January 2007 date back to this fall.
Lester and his wife Lee Ann sold their successful Palm Beach International Art & Antiques Fair for $18 million a few years ago and conceived the idea for SeaFair. The 83 exhibitors will be featuring art, jewelry and antiques from around the U.S. and Europe, including Goedhuis Contemporary, Max Lang Gallery, and Fred Leighton. Reportedly, the 28 gallery spaces created in the yacht have all been rented, for prices ranging from $40,000 to $120,000 a month. According to Portfolio.com, some gallerists such as Matthew Marks and Gagosian are staying on land because of issues such as protecting the work from the salt air, as well as inventory concerns.
The yacht will make a stop in Miami Beach to coincide with Art Basel and the dozens of satellite fairs that have sprung up, such as Pulse and ~scope. But unlike these fairs with admission prices ranging around $10 per day, SeaFair’s admission is by invitation only, extended according to an individual’s wealth.
The usual lull in summertime’s art market was jumped this year by auction houses and dealers traveling to and/or opening outposts in popular vacation spots for the collecting crowd. However, with the fall approaching, is SeaFair a valid threat to gallerists and dealers not participating in it? Or will the hefty investment indeed see returns?
SeaFair [ExpoShips]
“Voyage of the Art Barge” [Portfolio]
“SeaFair, the Art Ark” [NYArts]
“Floating Gallery Delays Its Visit” [TampaBay.com]
