On Friday after work, I stopped by the 2009 Affordable Art Fair for a couple hours.  The Fair, located this year at 7 West 34th Street, features 60 or so galleries- surprisingly an international bunch- that keep their prices within the $100-$10,000 range.  It’s open this weekend on Saturday from 12-8pm and on Sunday from 12-5pm.  Oh, and before I forget, be sure to print the $5 off entrance coupon on the AAF website if you decide to go.

It seemed by the line at the wrapping station in the room, which I passed three times, that a good amount of sales were taking place.  And while there was a lot of mediocre art, I discovered two galleries that particularly impressed me on this trip:

Like the Spice Gallery, out of Brooklyn, featured computer-drawn, aerial perspectives of what appears to be community sub-divisions by Ross Racine and a large, dreamy painting of a well-lit home by Allison Edge.  The gallery’s young director, Marisa, was friendly and genuinely excited to talk about the artists’ work.  TAG Fine Arts, based in London, displayed photographs of hauntingly-empty bath houses by Gigi Cifali and unbelievably detailed and charming paper cuts and screenprints by Robert Ryan.

I stumbled upon a way to get free tickets (they’re usually $20/ticket) to this year’s International Fine Art Fair, being held at The Park Avenue Armory in New York from May 1st-9th.

Okay, so go to the NYTimes website.  Scroll down and click on the Arts section.  Click on any slideshow in that section (underneath the one sentence descriptions of the listed articles).  As you click through the images in the slideshow, you’ll see different advertisements in the lower right-hand corner…generally for broadway shows.  If you keep going, at least as of a couple hours ago, you’ll eventually see an ad for this Art Fair…click it and it will take you to a site that allows you to print out a complimentary ticket for two!

I’d like to think they’re just being generous, but it’s probably a sign that they’re worried about low attendance due to the economy. 

While not the hottest show that comes to the city each year, it’s still a good chance to see some great work all in one spot– like the Alexander Calder piece pictured above being presented by Vincent Vallarino Fine Art Ltd.