Paris Photo Concludes Successful Art Fair in Los Angeles

Paris Photo Los Angeles concluded Sunday with genuine excitement over the inaugural United States edition of the renowned Paris fair for artworks in the photographic medium. Over 13,500 visitors flocked to the historic Paramount Pictures Studios to view works by masters and emerging artists from an international roster of exhibitors, including 60 galleries and 12 booksellers from cities such as Los Angeles, New York, Paris, London, Mexico City, Seoul, Tokyo, Hong Kong, St. Moritz, Marrakech, Amsterdam, Vienna, Berlin and more.

"The response to Paris Photo Los Angeles was tremendous," said Julien Frydman, Paris Photo Director. "We are amazed by the attendance numbers and the quality of collectors, curators, and museum directors from around the world who came. The sales were robust for a first-year fair. As you say in America, it was a home run."

The four-day fair kicked off on Thursday, April 25 with a private preview attended by collectors, museum directors and curators, artists, celebrities, and media. The fair was open to the public beginning on Friday, April 26 and closed on Sunday, April 28. Many attendees visited several times throughout the weekend.

In speaking about the unique location at the Paramount Pictures Studios, Frish Brandt, Executive Director of the Fraenkel Gallery in San Francisco, said, "In the same way the Grand Palais [in Paris] is quintessentially Parisian, being at Paramount is quintessentially L.A. The energy here is extraordinary. It's been great. Let's do it again."

The location at historic Paramount Pictures Studios was cited as a primary reason for Paris Photo Los Angeles's success. As Dean Anes of Gagosian Gallery said, "Paris Photo Los Angeles has been very good for us. It is a unique experience and people have enjoyed it. The word of mouth is good. We saw good collectors and are happy with sales. This is the best L.A. location for an art fair, period. That in itself is a success."

"It has been really good. There is no other fair in the world that looks like this - the flair, the energy, the ability to go inside and then outside. We have done extremely well. The big collectors are all here," said Benjamin Trigano of M+B Gallery, Los Angeles.

Christine Ancalmo of Gallery Paule Anglim in San Francisco echoed that thought, stating, "We are really pleased with the business we have done. The conversations have been very good. As a gallery that shows more than photography, this fair has provided a great opportunity to reach new audiences and connect with curators and collectors."

Los Angeles contemporary gallerist Perry Rubenstein noted, "It's the most inventive, alluring, spectacular concept for an art fair I've ever seen. We have had success in presenting our contemporary program of artists working in the photographic medium to both recognized contemporary collectors as well as collectors of photography."

Paris Photo Los Angeles included "Sound and Vision," a tremendously popular program of screenings and conversations between artists, curated by Douglas Fogle. Every one of the conversations, held in the landmark Sherry Lansing Theatre, was filled to capacity. The conversations featuring artists John Divola? and Richard Misrach? introduction by Erin O'Toole; Thomas Demand and Doug Aitken? introduction by Chrissie Iles; Gregory Crewdson and Matthew Weiner? introduction by Marc-Olivier Wahler; Catherine Opie and An-My Lê? introduction by Rani Singh; Alec Soth and Roe Ethridge?introduction by Simon Baker; and Sharon Lockhart and Phil Collins? introduction by Douglas Fogle, all saw lines around the theatre building.

In addition to the robust art sales, the exhibitors at the fair noted the success of the book signings. Artbook D.A.P.'s Jane Brown agreed, "We sold out of Tom Bianchi's Fire Island Pines in 15 minutes. The Todd Hido book signing had lines all the way around the building. I also love that the L.A. art community really came out for this event."

Prominent collectors who attended the fair included Eli Broad, J.K. Brown, Michael and Eileen Cohen, Rosette Delug, Eric Diefenbach, Cliff and Mandy Einstein, Bob Gersh, Susan and David Gersh, Larry and Susan Marx, Sylvio Perlstein, Mary and Andy Pilara, Manny Simchowitz and Dean Valentine, among others. Important museum directors and curators Stephanie Barron, Quentin Bajac, Simon Baker, Dan Cameron, Jeffrey Deitch, Karen Hellman, Roxana Marcoci, Ann Philbin, Timothy Potts, Mark Robbins, Britt Salvesen, Franklin Sirmans, Sam Stourdzé, John Tain, and Marc-Olivier Wahler attended. Finally, museums groups from the Amon Carter Museum (Fort Worth), Aperture Foundation (NYC), Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Getty Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art (San Diego), Museum of Contemporary Art (Los Angeles), Museum of Photographic Arts (San Diego), Palm Springs Art Museum, and Santa Barbara Museum of Art organized trips to the fair.

Notable guests who attended and enjoyed the fair over the weekend included Sasha Alexander, Eva Amurri Martino, Judd Apatow, Roberta Armani, Rosanna Arquette, Kevin Bacon & Kyra Sedgwick, Tyra Banks, Drew Barrymore & Will Kopelman, LauraLee Bell, Orlando Bloom, Scott Caan, Jennifer Carpenter, Sacha Baron Cohen, Trevor Donovan, Minnie Driver, Fergie & Josh Duhamel, Colin Egglesfield, Jodie Foster, Liz Goldwyn, Angie Harmon, Bob Harper, Amber Heard, Ellie Kemper, David Lynch, MAndy Moore, Stephen Moyer & Anna Paquin, Ryan Murphy, B.J. Novak, Frank Ocean, Sean Penn, David Phoenix, Amanda Seyfried, Jane Seymour, Molly Simms, Robin Tunney, PC Valmorbida, Jesse Williams and many more.

The preview featured events celebrating Paris Photo Los Angeles's partnerships with Giorgio Armani, BMW, and the Wall Street Journal. In addition, the French Embassy held a reception honouring Ceci n'est pas... a project initiated by the Cultural Services of the French Embassy.

For more information, visit www.parisphoto.com.