Hotels and art fairs may seem like an unlikely pairing, but the two have long rubbed shoulders: The first edition of The Armory Show was held at the Gramercy Park Hotel in 1994, and every February since 2018, Felix Art Fair has occupied the swanky Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel of Los Angeles. Among the most legendary of all New York hotels, Hotel Chelsea, hosted the first edition of the one-day-only Chelsea Art Fair last November, while in London, newcomer Minor Attractions took over the swanky Mandrake last October.
This week, newcomer Arrival Art Fair will take the concept into the mountains with a four-day event at the wood-clad Tourists hotel in the Berkshires. The highland on the border of Massachusetts and Connecticut is famous for its hypnotizing foliage, sought-after universities, and a generous bevy of well-heeled collectors. After a successful preview event last year, the fair will launch with around 36 U.S.–based exhibitors from June 12th through 15th.
The fair is the brainchild of art dealer Yng-Ru Chen, advisor Sarah Galender Meyer, and abstract painter and sculptor Crystalle Lacouture. The trio intends to carve out a niche in a crowded calendar of fairs with what they call a “holistic” approach that takes into account the needs of galleries, artists, and collectors. They aim to do this by combining their strengths as a dealer, art advisor, and artist. “We each have an understanding of what our field of expertise needs from a fair,” said Chen, who runs the Boston gallery and fair participant Praise Shadows. “As a dealer, I am aware that financing is a main concern when signing up for a booth.” Lacouture, who has widely exhibited across Massachusetts, has an immediate understanding of how a fair can serve artists better. Galender Meyer, meanwhile, brings to the table a familiarity with most collectors’ expectations.
