SOFA
SOFA CHICAGO RETURNS TO NAVY PIER
FOR THE 15TH ANNUAL
SCULPTURE OBJECTS & FUNCTIONAL ART FAIR
The World’s Foremost Exposition of Masterworks Bridging Contemporary
Decorative Art and Design Runs Nov. 7 – 9, 2008
SOFA CHICAGO 2008, the critically acclaimed Sculpture Objects & Functional Art Fair, returns to Navy Pier’s Festival Hall, Nov. 7–9 to present work from nearly 100 international galleries and dealers. Hot on the heels of its hugely successful 11th New York show, the 15th annual Chicago exposition features special exhibits by international arts organizations and a lecture series, both included in the admission price.
“Each year, new galleries from throughout the world approach us to bring their collections to Chicago,” said Mark Lyman, founder/director of SOFA CHICAGO and SOFA NEW YORK. “Chicago’s reputation for possessing one of the largest and most sophisticated groups of art connoisseurs in the world continues grow.”
In showcasing remarkable artistry from leading artists and designers, museum curators and art advisors from around the world routinely take in this fair. On view is dazzling contemporary glass art based on rich centuries-old Venetian traditions, sculptural Japanese ceramics, superb hollowware by Scandinavian silversmiths, modernist and contemporary furniture and the most avant-garde European jewelry. An unrivalled, innovative VIP Program of exclusive tours to private collectors’ homes along with corporate collections and behind the scene curator-led tours of museums serve to enhance the annual fair.
Special exhibits mounted by international arts organizations confirmed to date include the Association of Israel’s Decorative Arts (AIDA), which presented the hugely popular Offering Reconciliation exhibit last year, The Mint Museum of Craft and Design and the Racine Art Museum.
Also noteworthy, a special exhibition featuring the narratively surreal glass art of Venetian artist Lucio Bubacco, master of the “lume” technique which is inspired by Greek, Roman and Byzantine classic art as well as medieval and renaissance theater and by La Commedia dell’Arte.
The SALON SOFA Lecture Series features top artists, collectors, designers, art advisors and museum curators such as Dr. Christopher Lightfoot, Associate Curator, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, who will speak on Early Glass Making Techniques and their Influence on Contemporary Glass Art.
SOFA is also pleased to announce the creation of its new National Design Committee, co-chaired by John Barman, Holly Hunt, Amy Lau, Suzanne Lovell and Alison Spear. The 2nd annual Designer Champagne Breakfast will again be held prior to the opening of the fair on Friday, Nov. 7.
A festive Opening Night Mise en scène attended by artists, collectors, curators and cognoscenti is scheduled for Thursday, November 6. Mise en scène is a French theater term that means “putting on stage” and refers to the elegant art and setting of SOFA CHICAGO’s Opening Night. The public is invited to enjoy and acquire top quality pieces at the Public Preview from 7 to10 p.m. Tickets are $50 and may be purchased in advance at www.sofaexpo.com or at the door.
SOFA CHICAGO 2008 will be presented in Navy Pier’s Festival Hall, 600 E. Grand Ave., Nov. 7-9. Tickets for the Opening Night Mise-en-scène from 7 to 10 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 6 are $50. Fair hours are as follows: Friday, Nov. 7 and Saturday, Nov. 8 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 9 from noon to 6 p.m. Tickets are $15 for a single day of general admission and $25 for a three-day pass. Student, senior and group tickets are available for discounted prices. Catalogs are $15. Group discounts are available by calling GroupTix at 877-4-GRP-TIX (877-447-7849).
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