ART SOUTHAMPTON Returns to The Hamptons, Now thru 7/29

Following the extraordinary success of its inaugural edition last summer, Art Southampton (presented by Art Miami), the premiere international contemporary and modern art fair and marketplace for acquiring the finest works of art available in the Hamptons, will return at the height of the social and cultural season this summer today, July 25 through 29, 2013.

The first Art Southampton was a transformative event on the Hamptons' cultural landscape and will once again engage the community both socially and culturally and offer a discerning group of collectors the opportunity to acquire and enjoy the highest level of art in the Hamptons, this year with an outstanding roster of the world's most respectEd Galleries and two special exhibitions: Warhol by Gallery Valentine and the New York Academy of Art Exhibition of famed alumni curated by internationally acclaimed artist Eric Fischl.

The 2013 edition of Art Southampton will include the participation of the following galleries:

Archues/Post-Modern/United Kingdom, James Goodman Gallery/New York, Hollis Taggart Galleries/New York, Yares Art Projects/Santa Fe, Osborne Samuel Gallery/United Kingdom, Nicholas Metvier Gallery/Toronto, Galerie Terminus/Munich, Gallery Valentine/East Hampton, Ascaso Gallery/Miami, Pace Prints/New York, Todd Merrill 20th Century+Studio Contemporary/New York,Cynthia Reeves/New York, Mike Weiss/New York, Magnan Metz/New York, Sundaram Tagore Gallery/New York, EdelmanArts Inc./New York, Arcature Fine Art/Palm Beach, Eli Klein Fine Art/New York, Scott White Contemporary Art/San Diego, Claire Oliver/New York, Cynthia Corbett Gallery/United Kingdom, Dillion/New York, Aureus Contemporary/Basel, McNeill Art Group/Southampton, KM Fine Arts/Chicago and Los Angeles, David Lusk Gallery/Tennessee, Abby M Taylor Fine Art/New York, Gerald Peters Gallery/New York, Westwood Gallery NYC/New York, Praxis International Art/New York, Jerald Melberg Gallery/Charlotte, Black & White Gallery/Project Space/Brooklyn, Gallery Nine5/New York,JanKossen Contemporary/Basel, Fabien Castanier Gallery LA, Gallery Shchukin/Moscow & Paris, Peter Marcelle Gallery/Bridgehampton, Birnam Wood Galleries/East Hampton and many more. For the full list of participating galleries to date - visit www.art-southampton.com

The following Hamptons galleries will also support the fair: Gallery Valentine/East Hampton, McNeill Art Group/Southampton, Birnam Wood Galleries/East Hampton and the Peter Marcelle Gallery/Bridgehampton.

The season's most acclaimed art fair will take place in a spectacular 100,000-square-foot pavilion on the grounds of the sprawling 18-acre Southampton Elks Lodge adjacent to the Southampton Golf Club located directly off Route 27 A. The fair will commence on Thursday evening, July 25, 2013, with a highly anticipated exclusive opening-night VIP private preview for top international collectors, prominent Hampton figures in business, fashion, arts and media benefiting Southampton Hospital. There will also be an astonishing display and informal modeling of the most fabulous jewels in the world from GRAFF Diamonds.Perrier-Jouët is the exclusive Champagne of the fair and will maintain an exclusive dedicated Perrier-Jouëtbar for the duration of the weekend.

Highlights of this year's Art Southampton:

Art Southampton will host an exhibition of Andy Warhol's work at the fair. To accompany the exhibition, which will be organized by Gallery Valentine, there will be a VIP cocktail party and a discussion with several Andy Warhol experts, including Bob Colacello, former Interview editor and author of "Holy Terror: Andy Warhol Close Up;" Lana Jokel, renowned filmmaker and director of Andy Warhol; Ultra Violet, Factory superstar and Christina Strassfield, chief curator at Guild Hall.

The New York Academy of Art will be partnering exclusively with Art Southampton. America's foremost narrative painter and Academy senior critic, Eric Fischl, will curate a special exhibition of works by famed, renowned Academy artists. The Academy will additionally host a VIP event at the Fair supported by a complimentary chartered bus out of New York City. Also on exhibition during Art Southampton will be the artwork of ROSS School students and summer students in a curated exhibition.

Award winning LaGuardia Design will design the Art Southampton Sculpture Garden and main entrance of the pavilion. LaGuardia Design actively pursues an interest in how elements of the native landscape, existing topography and neighboring influences help define the character of each site and look to unify the landscape into a cohesive link firmly connecting architecture and site.

Art Southampton has become the destination for numerous museum and young-collectors groups including Whitney Contemporaries, Museum of Modern Art Junior Associates, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Columbia Alumni Arts Patrons, Guggenheim Museum's Young Collectors Council and members of the Museum of Art and Design, The Contemporaries, New Museum of Contemporary Art, National Academy of Design, Brooklyn Museum, Jewish Museum, Whitney Museum of Contemporary Art, The Parrish Museum, Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt, East End Arts Council, Miami Art Museum, National Academy of Design, Peconic Land Trust, Norton Museum of Art, Yale University of Art, Princeton University Art Museum, Islip Art Museum and ArtTable among many others. Art Southampton will once again organize scheduled events and complimentary charter bus service for museum and collector groups out of New York City.

About our Sponsors and Philanthropic Partners:

The House of Graff is synonymous with the most fabulous jewels in the world. The name symbolizes rarity, beauty, excellence and the finest diamonds. GRAFF is one of the world's leading diamond companies, involved in every stage of the jewelry making process, from mining and polishing to the magnificent hand finished piece. With stores around the world, GRAFF jewelry is exceptional; the quality, the style and the workmanship are unsurpassed. As Founder and Chairman of the Company, Laurence Graff has set an unsurpassed standard of excellence and innovation in the world of high jewelry. It has already been said that more important gem quality diamonds have passed through his hands than any other living diamantaire.

Perrier-Jouët is an authentic champagne House with an exceptional vineyard, renowned for the finesse of its wines, fashioned with the expertise of just seven cellar masters since 1811. For more information, please visit www.perrier-jouët.com or www.facebook.com/champagne.PerrierJouet.

Southampton Social Club, the premiere night life destination in the Hamptons that also offers world-class fine dining and hosts celebrity parties and events is the Official After Lounge of the fair. The Southampton Social Club will also showcase a curated exhibition from galleries participating in the fair.

Southampton Hospital is a principal beneficiary of Art Southampton. This year Art Southampton is donating the use of its pavilion and infrastructure for the hospital's 55th Summer Party, the most elegant party of the season.

The supporters of Southampton Hospital are among the most affluent, culturally attuned tastemakers on the East End and include many financial titans from the business sector, cultural leaders, internationally known designers, major collectors and top media figures.

"Southampton Hospital is delighted to join with Art Southampton in strengthening the collaboration we began last summer," said Robert Chaloner, President and CEO of Southampton Hospital. "We are thrilled that they have again chosen us to be the beneficiary of proceeds from their opening-night preview party. Even more exciting, the Art Southampton venue will serve as the 2013 site for the hospital's 55th Annual Summer Party, proceeds of which will benefit the Jenny and John Paulson Emergency Department and the new Audrey and Martin Gruss Heart and Stroke Center."

Like its sister fair Art Miami; which has for more than 23 years distinguished itself for presenting the finest in modern and contemporary art and has become a not-to-be-missed opportunity for collectors, art advisers, museum directors and curators, artists, connoisseurs and interior designers; Art Southampton will feature a carefully selected group of 75 international galleries with a strong focus on works from the 20th and 21st centuries. An advisory committee is in place to assist in the vetting of gallery programs ensuring that the quality of art will be on par with the excellence of Art Miami allowing collectors, institutions, curators and art advisers to buy with confidence.

Art Southampton is currently enhancing its prestigious VIP Host Committee consisting of top art collectors, artists, curators and business and community leaders from the New York area and across the country who appreciate the value of highlighting Southampton as a world-class center for contemporary art in the United States.

Art Southampton affirming its commitment to the community has already developed supportive partnerships with a number of the East End's most prominent organizations including The Watermill Center, Southampton Fresh Air Home, Ross School, Southampton Cultural Center and the newSouthampton Center.

In addition to the stellar lineup of galleries, Art Southampton has the enthusiastic support of the following media partners: The Art Newspaper, Dan's Papers, Artinfo, Art + Auction, The New York Observer,ArtFacts.Net, MutualArt.com, Avenue, VENÜ MAGAZINE, Manhattan Magazine, Hamptons Magazine, Haute Living, Hyperallergic, Arte al Día, ArtNexus, Art Circuits, BEACH, Fairweather Magazine, ARTnews, Art in America, Artillery, and more.

Art Southampton has arranged for favorable consolidated art handling rates for all exhibitors to and from the Art Southampton pavilion through Bourlet Art Logistics (contact: john@artlogistics.com). A full selection of additional housing options are available at www.art-southampton.com.

Art Miami, LLC: is a partnership consisting of art and media industry veterans Nick Korniloff, Mike Tansey and Brian Tyler. Art Miami, LLC also produces Art Miami (www.art-miami.com), Miami's longest running contemporary art fair, CONTEXT (www.contextartmiami.com), Aqua Art Miami (http://www.aquaartmiami.com), and Art Wynwood (www.art-wynwood.com)

For more information, visit http://www.art-southampton.com.