From the July/August 2024 issue of Apollo. Preview and subscribe here . ‘Art collecting is in our DNA as Hamptonites,’ Rick Friedman says – referring, of course, to the history of artists living and working in the region.
Each year, a 70,000-square-foot complex is constructed for Hamptons Fine Art Fair (HFAF) between a Mercedes-Benz dealership and Southampton Golf Club: perfectly placed to host blue-chip galleries and their clientele. This location is key to the success of HFAF, believes Friedman, its founder and director, who previously ran a nationwide roster of fairs including ArtAspen and the Palm Springs Fine Art Fair. ‘There’s a tremendous amount of wealth an hour’s drive in every direction.
So instead of going to different cities around the country and trying to get people to come, this [proximity] is how we bring them together.’ (Friedman describes the fair’s parking lot as ‘beautiful’, adding: ‘You can park right outside the door.’) The fact that Friedman is himself a collector – focusing on Abstract Expressionism, with a collection that includes work by local painters Jackson Pollock and Willem De Kooning – gives him a thorough understanding of their wants and needs.
‘I like to say, “I eat my own cooking.” I buy from my own fair. If I see something I like, I buy it.
’ He adds: ‘[Collectors] are demanding and unforgiving, but basically they want what they want – and they get it.’ Untitled (1963), Lynne Mapp Drexler. Casterline.
