Fine Art Print Fair
Jacob K. Javits Center, New York NY
The Fine Art Print Fair, established in 1991, is the most celebrated international art fair dedicated to the medium of printmaking. Its 2018 edition brought nearly 80 galleries and more than 10,000 visitors to the River Pavilion of the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York’s Hudson Yards neighborhood.
BSC’s design for the fair took inspiration from the layered planes of color found in Ukiyo (‘floating world’) prints of mid-17th century Japan. Featuring orderly avenues of booths defined by individualized lighting options, the layout takes advantage of the exceptional natural light of the venue while giving exhibitors control of the lighting in each booth to suit the art on display. The carefully planned sightlines are punctuated by lounges marked by suspended colored scrims which filter the light, creating places of respite.
The symmetry of the River Pavilion sets the stage for our booth plan and the sequence of movement through the fair. A broad central aisle affords a view west to the Javits’ large glass façade, where the café is enlivened by patterns cast by the structure, and to the Hudson River beyond. In this soaring space, visitors experience the fair at three different scales; that of the art, the building, and the city.
Special thanks to Cassina and Nemo Lighting for their generous contributions to the Fair.
PROJECT TEAM: Timothy Bade, Jane Stageberg, Martin Cox, Jessica Rivera, Karl Landsteiner, and Ethan Schwartz
The Fine Art Print Fair, established in 1991, is the most celebrated international art fair dedicated to the medium of printmaking. Its 2018 edition brought 80 galleries and more than 10,000 visitors to the River Pavilion of the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York’s Hudson Yards neighborhood.
BSC’s design for the fair took inspiration from the layered planes of color found in Ukiyo (‘floating world’) prints of mid-17th century Japan. Featuring orderly avenues of booths defined by individualized lighting options, the layout takes advantage of the exceptional natural light of the venue while giving exhibitors control of the lighting in each booth to suit the art on display. The carefully planned sightlines are punctuated by lounges marked by suspended colored scrims which filter the light, creating places of respite.
The symmetry of the 41,500 SF River Pavilion sets the stage for our booth plan and the sequence of movement through the fair. A broad central aisle affords a view west to the Javits’ large glass façade, where the café is enlivened by patterns cast by the structure, and to the Hudson River beyond. In this soaring space, visitors experience the fair at three different scales; that of the art, the building, and the city.
Special thanks to Cassina and Nemo Lighting for their generous contributions to the Fair.
PROJECT TEAM: Timothy Bade, Jane Stageberg, Martin Cox, Jessica Rivera, Karl Landsteiner, and Ethan Schwartz
Photography: Andy Ryan