The reach of this year's Hamptons Fine Art Fair has extended to Ukraine. The Lysenko Gallery from Kyiv is presenting "War-Torn Gallery: The Last Show, From Kyiv to Southampton."
"They were attacked while they had a show up," said Rick Friedman, the fair's executive director. "They got everything out, took it to London, and then they brought it here and are assembling the show with us. It's a very popular gallery there. The president used to attend their openings."
The fair, which launched last September at the Southampton Arts Center, will return next weekend with 40,000 square feet of exhibition space at the 17-acre Southampton Fairgrounds on County Road 39.
"It exploded this year," said Mr. Friedman. "We went from 50 galleries to about 100, from 11 countries. I've been doing this for 17 years all over the country, and this is by far the biggest show we've done."
Next Thursday's opening, set for 4 p.m., is a benefit for Guild Hall. In honor of Bastille Day, it will feature French wines, Champagne, hors d'oeuvres, and a live performance by Chloe Perrier, a French cabaret singer, and the French Heart Jazz Band.
Participating East End galleries include Colm Rowan Fine Art, Lawrence Fine Art, and Karyn Mannix Contemporary of East Hampton; Loves Gallery of Southampton, Wisse Kodde of Sag Harbor, and Mark Borghi of Sag Harbor and Bridgehampton.
Chris Kelly, an East Hampton artist represented by Colm Rowan, is one of the fair's featured artists. The others are Ronnie Landfield, Elise Ansel, Jennifer JL Jones, and Gilberto Romero.
Mr. Friedman noted that the fair will include plenty of secondary-market art, including work from the '50s, '60s, and '70s. One gallery, M.S. Rau from New Orleans, is bringing works by Monet, Renoir, Picasso, Andrew Wyeth, and Andy Warhol.
The fair will also hold panel discussions on NFTs (non-fungible tokens), the artist Frances Hines, collecting, creative expression and the special-needs community, art and interior design, and philanthropy.
Gold V.I.P. tickets, priced at $150, include 4 p.m. admission on opening night and access to all programs and exhibits; the $100 V.I.P. pass admits holders to the opening at 5, as well as access to everything thereafter.
The fair is open Friday, July 15, from noon to 6, and July 16 and 17 from 11 to 6. General admission tickets are $30. The fair's website is the source for tickets, a full schedule of events, and a gallery directory.
