EXPO Chicago - A Week In Review

Gladys Nilsson at Garth Greenan Gallery’s booth at EXPO Chicago

We are still recovering from a busy September here in the office. The end of the year is always a race, but the addition of Chicago's premiere art fair, Expo Chicago, always makes things that much more exciting. Art fairs are a great opportunity for art consultants to take in an extensive array of artwork from a vast network of national and international galleries in a relatively short amount of time. Additionally, we welcome any opportunity to see art in person and connect with its makers and purveyors, making this close-to-home option a must on our list.

WHAT IS VERNISSAGE?

DeGroot Fine Art at Vernissage

The art season in Chicago opens in early September with many top-notch shows in the galleries around town leading up to the night of Expo Chicago or “Vernissage” as it is referred to in their programming. This term simply means a private viewing of paintings before public exhibition. This event is heavily attended, and the people-watching is as interesting as the artwork. That said, it is hard to fully perceive what is being exhibited behind the throngs of people, so it is important to strategize how and when you will be best able to take things in.

PROFESSIONAL PREVIEW

Every year I make sure to attend the professional preview before the fair opens for Vernissage. During this time I was able to take some quick snapshot reminders with my camera and write notes down of those pieces of particular interest. I use these notes to flag and quickly communicate artwork options for our private and corporate clients and get a head-start on any acquisitions. This year, I was focused on new prints, potential acquisitions for two different homes in Evanston and Lincoln Park, and executive level artwork for corporate clients.

Alex Katz at Richard Gray Gallery’s booth at EXPO

PRIVATE TOURS FOR CLIENTS

This year DeGroot Fine Art was asked by Expo Chicago to give a private tour for the Northern Trust V.I.P. guests the morning before the fair opened to the public. Our Project Manager, Julia Sobieraj, donned a microphone headset and toured through the fair with a group of about 25 executives, highlighting artwork from locally relevant artists of note, including: Gladys Nilsson, Alex Katz, Judy Ledgerwood, Celeste Rapone, and Stephen Eichhorn. We were honored to be included in their programming and welcomed the chance to meet individuals with a mutual interest in fine art. 

After the tour, there was plenty of time the rest of the weekend to slowly take in the fair's offerings. We always plan to review any fair at least twice, as observing so much can be overwhelming at first. It is always advantageous to use fresh eyes in another round the bend. To see more of our top picks from this fair, check out our Aesthetics page on the website for the affiliated post. We are often tasked with being the eyes and ears of our clients for fairs such as Expo Chicago, but in addition to this service and offering exclusive invitations to our clientele, we also walk individuals around at their request to personally guide their experience custom to their interests.

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