8 Dealers Not To Miss At This Year’s Fog Design+Art Fair

Photo Credit: Drew Altizer

Art gallery owners, international designers, and acclaimed artists will descend on San Francisco January 17-20 for the 6th annual Fog Design+Art Fair. The four-day extravaganza begins with a preview gala on January 16. The weekend-long festivities include artist conversations, an innovators luncheon honoring Pamela J. Joyner, and 53 unique exhibitions. Many of the proceeds, including those for the opening night party, benefit SFMOMA’s programs and departments. For art collectors and design enthusiasts, Fog is a prime time to meet with local and globally recognized curators, artists, and dealers. Attending? Here are eight booths you don’t want to miss.

Photo Credit: Richard Mosse and Altman Siegel

Gallery: Altman Siegel, San Francisco
Principal: Claudia Altman-Siegel
Known for: Altman-Siegel opened her namesake gallery 10 years ago. She features emerging artists, historical exhibitions, and artists whose work speaks to present-day cultural dialogue.
Fog exhibit: “This year we are doing a solo booth with photographer Richard Mosse. Richard also has an upcoming solo show at SFMOMA in 2019, and we are excited to introduce his work to the San Francisco audience. Richard has documented the civil war in Congo and also the refugee crisis in Syria and Africa. We will be showing works from both of these series.”
On the importance of the fair: “Many people are talking about art having a bigger and bigger online presence, which makes sense. But nothing can substitute the experience of standing in front of the actual object. The physical connection one has with a piece of art cant be replicated in an online context. For this reason, I hope art lovers will continue to visit the gallery and the fair and experience the work in person.” 

Photo Credit: Crown Point Press, Copyright Laura Owens

Gallery: Crown Point Press, San Francisco
Director: Valerie Wade
Known for: Founded 57 years ago by Kathan Brown, Crown Point is a contemporary printing press that focuses on etching, prints, and plates.
Fog exhibit: “We are excited to present a one-person booth at the fair this year—Laura Owens. The presentation includes a selection of prints from Owens first project at the press in 2004 and her second project in 2010. Also on view will be a group of handmade, one of a kind artist books from her studio. Owens is a renowned Los Angeles painter whose mid-career survey has traveled from the Whitney Museum of American Art, NY to its current venue at The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. In 2016 Laura Owens installed a major exhibition of new paintings at The Wattis Institute, titled Laura Owens: Ten Paintings, San Francisco.”
On SF’s art community: “While San Francisco is not considered a major market center there are a handful of devoted curators and collectors that support the activities of the museums and galleries here and participate in keeping the art scene viable. In my opinion, there is more experimentation here with the artists and programming in the galleries since there isn’t such an emphasis on the commercial market.”

Photo Credit: Sarah Morris and Petzel, New York

Gallery: Petzel, New York
Principal: Friedrich Petzel
Known for: Founded in 1994, this is Petzel’s first appearance at Fog. Petzel develops programs around modern, internationally-renowned artists and leading artists from the past 30 years like Jeff Koons, Cindy Sherman, and Richard Prince.
Fog exhibit: “We will be exhibiting works by Cosima von Bonin (b. 1962, Mombasa, Kenya), Wade Guyton (b. 1972, Hammond, IN), and Sarah Morris (b. 1967, London, UK). We’re showing a group of artists that are both art historically relevant and adventurous. The booth should be appealing to anyone interested in seeing how our artists have navigated the contemporary art landscape with original and exciting ideas.”
On the challenges facing dealers today: “Images are being exchanged at a faster rate than they have been in the past. While this allows for a greater amount of diversity in what is being shown it also amounts to saturation in the marketplace. The project of any gallery is to try to convince audiences that they deserve recognition over the immense number of artists and galleries vying for attention.”

Photo Credit: David Gill Gallery

Gallery: David Gill Gallery, London
Principal: David Gill
Known for: Established in 1987, David Gil has curated and represented artists and designers, championing them to push boundaries. His array of furniture, decor, and lighting has a strong identity with collectors.
Fog exhibit: “We are showing work by Sebastian Brajkovic and Sebastian ErraZuriz for the first time at the fair. Greek and Roman masterpieces inspire ErraZuriz; he utilizes truly technologically innovative processes to create functional sculptures like his Table Athena Lemnia.”
On SF’s art community: “The community seems to understand what is happening today and interested in collecting unique and limited-edition works. With SFMoMA it also has a world-class museum whose work with Fog Fair means that collectors, dealers, and institutions are brought together in one space–which makes for engaging conversations!”

Photo Credit: Modernity

Gallery: Modernity, Stockholm
Principal: Andrew Duncanson
Known for: Specializing in the collection and sale of rare high-end lighting, jewelry, ceramics, glass, and furniture from 20th-century Scandinavian designers, this is Modernity’s first time at Fog.
Fog exhibit: “We have tried to select some of the best pieces of vintage Scandinavian design the market has to offer at the moment. Our centerpiece will be the iconic PK54 dining table in steel and Cippolini marble, with the PK9 dining chairs around it. Although sold separately, we believe the set is a match made in heaven. The balance between geometrical lines, curves, warm and cold materials is very typical of Danish master Poul Kjaerholm. Collectors will find it a unique opportunity to enrich their collection with pieces they cannot find locally.”
On the challenges facing dealers today: “In our field, sourcing extraordinary pieces of vintage design in good original condition is increasingly difficult. At the same time, this, of course, means that when we do find treasures, it’s all the more exciting and rewarding.”

Photo Credit: Joe Kramm / R & Company

Gallery: R & Company, New York
Principal: Evan Snyderman
Known for: Passionate commitment to historic preservation with the goal of a closer study and appreciation for 20th and 21st-century design.
Fog exhibit: “This year we commissioned several new works from our designers to be featured in the booth.  We will be showing new work from Katie Stout and Rogan Gregory who have been increasingly recognized for their boundary-pushing practices. They both create unique works that function as design objects and works of art. We will also feature work by the French interior architect Pierre Yovanovich alongside an important dining table and chairs by the master of Brazilian mid-century design, Joaquim Tenreiro.”
On the importance of the fair: “We love the SF collecting community.  I find that although the community is smaller than in Miami or NY, the collectors are highly seasoned and sophisticated with some of the most refined tastes in the country. I also enjoy the closeness of that community and am thrilled to be able to work together with so many great collectors there.”

Photo Credit: ©Bernard Frize

Gallery: Perrotin, Paris, Asia, New York
Director: Donald Ryan
Known for: Vibrant and creative environments to fully immerse oneself in an artist’s work. This is its debut at Fog.
Fog exhibit: “Perrotin is known for taking risks and is always at the forefront of developing artist’s careers. We are looking forward to showing works by Takashi Murakami, and we are also excited to show a new series of works by artist Leslie Hewitt who is in the collection of the SFMOMA. It’s an exciting gallery, and I think our booth reflects that.”
On SF’s art community: “We love the commitment to art and public institutions. We love that the San Francisco collector community collects with rigor, depth, and is committed to supporting artists.”

Photo Credit: Patrick Parrish Gallery, Copyright Christopher Kurtz

Gallery: Patrick Parrish, New York
Principal: Patrick Parrish
Known for: His unusual selection of art, lighting, and furniture has attracted the likes of everyone from Jennifer Aniston to Steven Gambrel to Thom Browne.
Fog exhibit: “We will be bringing an amazing collection of vintage Carl Auböck designs from the 1950s that I think everyone will love. We will also be showing contemporary pieces by Cody Hoyt, Julian Watts, and Christopher Kurtz. Watts and Kurtz were the only two American finalists for the Loewe Craft Prize in London last year, and I think their work is both beautiful, collectible, and affordable for what you are getting.”
On the challenges facing dealers today: “Paying the bills! It’s tough out there, especially for the mid-tier and smaller galleries such as myself, but we love what we do, and hard work is something we are used to; so we are looking forward to getting 2019 started right at Fog!”