Chicago,IL – Art Chicago was founded as an American version of the Art Basel contemporary art exposition in 1980. It was the first such in North America. For years it was held in the long barnlike sheds on Chicago’s Navy Pier. In 1989 the leaky old sparrow-infested sheds on the pier were demolished and replaced by a mall, theatres, entertainment venues and convention exhibition halls. In the 1990s Art Chicago was called “the nation’s leading fair of 20th-century art, second only to Art Basel in Switzerland in global importance”. Art Chicago 2011 will take place April 29 – May 2, with an Opening Preview on April 28.
Art Chicago will be held on the 12th floor of Chicago’s iconic Merchandise Mart and will use the full 200,000 square feet floorplan for special exhibition areas, gourmet café services, exhibitor and VIP lounges, and other amenities. In addition, Art Chicago will extend to the first-floor and exterior of The Merchandise Mart, to showcase large-scale contemporary sculptures and two-dimensional works.
Art Chicago 2011, the international fair of contemporary and modern art, is the largest, most important art event in the Midwest, providing collectors, curators and art enthusiasts a comprehensive survey of current and historic work, from cutting-edge to modern masters. Art Chicago is proud to be North America’s premier fair committed to intelligent and relevant educational programming, exhibitions, and special events, while also providing a unique showcase for artists, museums and cultural institutions from key regional and other US cities. Art Chicago is the centerpiece of an expanded art program and a city-wide celebration of the arts, ‘Artropolis’, anchored by partnerships with leading cultural institutions across the city. In 2010, Art Chicago attracted nearly 52,000 visitors.
Art Chicago® 2011, the annual international fair of contemporary and modern art, brings together the world’s leading emerging and established galleries. Art Chicago offers curators, collectors, artists and art enthusiasts a comprehensive survey of current and historic work, from cutting-edge to modern masters in a wide variety of media including: painting, photography, drawings, prints, sculpture, video and special installations. For 2011, exhibitors are coming from all over the US as well as further afield. Overseas galleries an art dealers at Art Chicago 2011 include the Adam Gallery, Bicha Gallery, Browse & Darby, Mark Jason Gallery, W. H. Patterson, Catto Gallery, Woolff Gallery, the Cynthia Corbett Gallery, Quantum Contemporary Art, Jill George Gallery, Anya Stonelake/White Space Gallery and Unix Fine Art (London), MISOOLSIDAE, Chosun Art Gallery, Gallery H.A.N. and Galerie Bhak (Seoul), Art-Kvartal (Moscow), BlueLeaf Gallery (Dublin), Galeria Ferran Cano and Villa del Arte galleries (Barcelona), Cube Gallery (Bristol), the Christopher Cutts Gallery and Nikola Rukaj Gallery (Toronto), Envie d’Art, Galerie Mark Hachem, Martin du Louvre, Galerie Richard and Galerie Olivier Waltman (Paris), La Ribera Galería de Arte (Murcia), Licht Feld (Basel), Newzones (Calgary), PaciArte Contemporary (Brescia), Galerie Peithner-Lichtenfels (Vienna), Rize Art Gallery (Naarden), Wada Garou (Tokyo), West Hill Gallery (Nassau), Wilde Gallery (Berlin) and the Winsor Gallery (Vancouver). Almost 70 of the finest galleries from the US will also be in attendance. Visit the Art Chicago website at … http://www.artchicago.com