The Accessible Art Fair Opens at the National Arts Club - Brussels Fair Makes NYC Debut

The Accessible Art Fair Opens at the National Arts Club.
By Barry Kostrinsky

The Vision of Stephanie Manasseh to give access to artists directly to collectors for exposure, connections and sustainability is the fulfillment of a daughters dream for her mother. This 10 year old Brussel's Art Fair makes it's NYC Debut in the National Arts Club on Gramercy Park, both a beautiful building filled with brilliant past moments and memories and a club looking to rebuild and re-blend its future anew.

With an interior that feels Victorian and some brilliant marbles sculptures to boot with great crusty landscaped oils hung by a long unforgiving pool table's corners worth spotting and staircases to die for with Tiffany fancy glass ceilings above, the National Arts Club ain't a bad place to have a drink and shoot pool.

Maria Van Vlodrop's MvVO is the US extension of Stephanie's efforts. Both woman are fierce workers, thinkers and doer's . Yes, they are connected to some friends that can make dreams a reality. Launching a fair in NYC is no easy task and the competition is stiff for space, supporters, the audience, the critics and from all the other fairs. A proper International Jury team included hot names that told in spoken word would sound like: So The Bees, Go the GoGo, Art The Net, Christie The Collect (CTC). The team culled 60 artists for the exhibit that runs from November 1-25.

It takes a team and an army to get done what these two have.

Indeed most at times will confuse this fairs title with the Affordable Art Fairs moniker. Both have similar concepts underneath. As for the recent Affordable Art Fair just in town a few weeks ago, let's just say affordability may be a bad thing at times.

The real fair to put on your calendars is the Outsider Art Fair January 19-22, a great fair whose label is worthy of a separate essay and whose theme is having her day.

Of course the ADAA Fair at the Park Avenue Armory March 1-5 is a cream of the crop but some folks today are lactose intolerant.

How good is the show, was there enough of a pool of talent to choice from, would serious NYC artists apply, is Brooklyn in the house, did the cream crop it well? This is for you to tell. Certainly the National Arts Club is worth a visit if you have never been nor had your passport stamped in over 5 years. It is one of the treasured architectural and cultural pleasures of New York City, cousined from a Euro perfumed mom to the The Neuer Galleries Cafe Sebarsky. Both transport you to another time and place. Given there is no jet lag and I do not have to remove and retie my shoes I am game for the trip myself. Join me.

http://www.mvvoart.com/

http://outsiderartfair.com/

http://www.artdealers.org/the-art-show/information