seafair

Will SeaFair Stay Afloat?

Looks like it's rough seas ahead for SeaFair, the floating art show. Bloomberg reports that Expoships has announced that their first ship, the Grande Luxe, will be holding fewer events than expected. They had originally planned a full 44 week schedule but have now said that the will be taking booking from art dealers for 10 to 12 two week segments, a reduction of about half the planned exhibitions. Last year, the yacht held six weeks of exhibitions.

The 228-foot yacht was built at a cost of $30 million and serves as a floating art gallery for 28 dealers at a time. The yacht is currently docked in Miami for minor repairs but is hoped to start shows again in March or April. Expoships Director Nick Kornikoff has left the company and managing partner David Lester told Bloomburg reporter Scott Reyburn that the are in the contrast of making changes to the original business plan including opening the boat to the general public for certain hours (rather than just hosting invitation-only events) and including more contemporary art. The big question is whether or not the faltering economy and its resulting drag on the art market will end up sinking this ambitious project.

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Tags: art, art gallery, exposhps, seafair, yacht

SeaFair, The Floating Art Gallery

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Yachts & Sailing, Art

Combining two loves of the wealthy, art and yachts, the Grand Luxe is a 228-foot yacht commissioned for the SeaFair, a traveling art show. The vessel will travel to luxurious seaside cities up and down the East Coast. Visits are by invitation only and on board visitors can browse 28 galleries, dine in one of two restaurants, and hang out at an open-air bar. The 28 spaces are each run by independent galleries. According to Portfolio, each gallery pays $40,000 to $120,000 a month in rent. The yacht hopes to attract not the seasoned art-fair attendee and collector but instead the new buyer with ready cash, the very person that might find an invitation-only floating art gallery sexy.

[Thanks, C. Petersen]

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Tags: art fair, art gallery, grand luxe, seafair, yacht