Annual Fine Print Fair opens within Los Angeles Art Show, Jan 19-23

LA Art Show/ Fine Print Fair Veronica of Egenolf Gallery

Veronica Miller, owner of Egenolf Gallery of Burbank, displays a woodcut for a artwork of Utagawa Kunioshi (1792 – 1861). (Cultural News Photo)

The 26th Annual Los Angeles/International Fine Print Dealers Association (IFPDA) Fine Print Fair which is situated within the Los Angeles Art Show, opens from January 19 – 23, at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The 2011 Fine Print Fair features fine print dealers from across the U.S., art discussions, a film screening and print demonstrations.

Participating galleries include: Tobey C. Moss Gallery from Los Angeles; Annex Galleries from Santa Rosa, CA; Armstrong Fine Art from Chicago; Joel R. Bergquist Fine Arts from Stanford, CA; Davidson Galleries from Seattle; Egenolf Gallery Japanese Prints from Burbank; Roger Genser from Santa Monica; Conrad R. Graeber Fine Art from Riderwood, MD; The Verne Collection (contemporary and antique Japanese art) from Cleveland; Warnock Fine Arts from Palm Springs; The Tolman Collection from New York, and Mixografia from Los Angeles.

The internationally acclaimed Fair provides collectors and art lovers a comprehensive look at Prints in all techniques; from woodcut, engraving and etching to mezzotint, dry point and lithography.

Juxtaposing many periods and movements, visitors have an opportunity to view and purchase fine prints from a broad spectrum that includes, Old Masters, German Expressionist, antique and modern Japanese, 18th and 19th – century European, 19th–century American, American Regionalist, Latin-American and Modern works to Contemporary masterworks and new editions. Prices range from under $500 to more than $50,000.

Throughout the fair, IFPDA Print Fair is featuring art discussion, film screening and print demonstration. On Friday, January 21 at 4 pm, the IFPDA will sponsor a screening of the award winning film ‘Four Stones for Kanemitsu’ (running time 28 minutes). This Academy Award nominated documentary, directed by Terry Sanders exquisitely explores the collaboration between artist Matsumi Kanemitsu and master printer Serge Lozingot as they create a four-color lithograph.

On Saturday, January 23, at 2 pm, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s Prints and Drawing Council will sponsor a panel discussion. Titled ‘Committed to Print: Collecting Prints Today,’ the panel will feature artist Greg Colson, Print Dealer Bobbie Greenfield and collector Joseph Morsman and be moderated by LACMA Prints and Drawings Curator, Leslie Jones. This panel will explore why each panelist is drawn to the print medium. They will examine how the history of print affects contemporary printmaking and where they feel the future of printmaking lies.

Throughout the five-day-fair, the IFPDA also sponsors on-site print demonstrations. Back by popular demand, these demonstrations are led by artist members of the Los Angeles Printmaking Society. A different print-making method is explored each day, including intaglio (etching), screen printing, woodcut (relief), monoprint, and a small lithograph stone printing.

The Los Angeles Art Show/IFPDA Fine Print Fair takes place on January 19-23 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, 1201 South Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, CA 90015. General admission to the both show is $20. www.laartshow.com

General show hours: January 20 – 22, 11 am – 8 pm, Sunday, January 23, 11 am – 5 pm .