SOFA PARTNERS WITH IFAE TO PRODUCE
PALM BEACH³
A Contemporary Art Exposition in Palm Beach, Florida
Featuring Three Complimentary Fairs in One Location

Mark Lyman (left) and Mark Carr

At SOFA NEW YORK 2004 in June, Mark Lyman, President and Founder of Expressions of Culture, Inc., producer of SOFA NEW YORK and CHICAGO, and Mark Carr, Executive Vice President, Art and Antiques, dmg world media, announced that SOFA will partner with International Fine Art Expositions (IFAE) to produce PalmBeach³ January 13 - 17,2005.

International Fine Art Expositions, a dmg world media business, annually produces the Palm Beach Classic International Fine Art and Antique Fair, and Palm Beach Contemporary--to be relaunched as Palm Beach³--in Palm Beach, Fl. dmg world media is an international exhibition and publishing company based in London, United Kingdom, which produces 100 regional arts & antiques fairs in the United States, United Kingdom and France, as well as over 300 public shows and trade exhibitions in North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and the Middle East. dmg world media owns The Daily Mail, The Evening Standard, as well as numerous newspapers throughout the United Kingdom.

Palm Beach County Convention Center

Palm Beach³ will be launched by IFAE and SOFA on January 13-17, 2005 at the new state-of-the-art Palm Beach County Convention Center. This unique art event will integrate in one location three complementary fairs: Palm Beach³Contemporary, presenting galleries exhibiting paintings, sculptures, works on paper, video, installation and photography; the new Palm Beach³Photography, featuring galleries exhibiting classical and contemporary photography including fashion and documentary work; and the new sector, Palm Beach³SOFA, galleries bridging contemporary decorative and fine art.

Lorenzo Rudolf, Vice President of IFAE

According to Lorenzo Rudolf, Vice-President of IFAE, the continued evolution of Palm Beach Contemporary has led to a partnership with SOFA, the brand leader in fairs presenting galleries bridging contemporary decorative and fine art, with over 50,000 visitors annually attending SOFA NEW YORK and SOFA CHICAGO. “Together, we will create the most comprehensive contemporary art fair in the United States,” said Rudolf, who before joining IFAE in 2003, was the driving force behind ArtBasel in Switzerland for over 10 years, building it into the world’s leading art fair. “Our organizations have a long term vision, focused on quality and customer service, and combined will have one of the most affluent collector bases in the United States. Bringing the best of our two organizations together to form an unparalleled marketing and operational expertise will greatly enhance our efforts in the national market. We have found with SOFA our ideal partner for this segment and for our long term plan.”

Mark Carr and Mark Lyman at SOFA NEW YORK 2004 announcing Palm Beach3  to press and dealers

Mark Lyman, President and Founder of SOFA expositions, said, “We are absolutely delighted to join forces with the prestigious International Fine Art Expositions and dmg world media to produce Palm Beach³. IFAE’s strong reputation and experience as producers of fine art fairs will combine with SOFA’s expertise in sculpture and objects to create a vital synergy of artforms and talent, building Palm Beach³ into a premier contemporary arts fair. In its partnership with IFAE, SOFA will be taking a major step towards its long-term goal of bridging the worlds of contemporary decorative and fine art. We are also very excited to offer the dealers of our successful and on-going expositions in New York and Chicago, the opportunity to exhibit in South Florida with its strong art market.”

IFAE’s Palm Beach Contemporary 2004

Palm Beach³ will highlight the festive Palm Beach social season with the “Art of Compassion” Private Opening on Thursday, January 13, 2005 for the benefit of the Palm Beach Friends of Magen David Adom (MDA). The Art of Compassion is Co-Chaired by Dale and Doug Anderson, Linda and Ben Frankel, and Fraeda and Bill Kopman. Honorary Chairman is Sydell L. Miller.

“We have combined our passion for art with our love of humanity,” said Fraeda Kopman, Chairman, Art of Compassion. “The fair provides us with the perfect opportunity to raise funds for Israel’s Emergency Services.”

Entrance to the Palm Beach County Convention Center

Palm Beach Friends of Magen David Adom (MDA) is the State of Israel’s Red Cross Society. Its purpose is to raise not only vital dollars, but also public awareness of Israel’s emergency medical /disaster /ambulance /blood/ healthcare network. To fulfill its humanitarian mission of saving precious Israeli lives, MDA depends on the generosity of caring friends around the world, particularly the United States. MDA provides critical lifesaving services to every man, woman and child in every corner of the nation, regardless of race, religion or creed. Palm Beach Friends of MDA is the Palm Beach affiliate of American Red Magen David for Israel(ARMDI), since 1940 the U.S. support arm of MDA.

Palm Beach³ , located at the Palm Beach County Convention Center, 650 Okeechobee Boulevard, begins with a Private Opening to benefit the Palm Beach Friends of Magen David Adom (MDA), on Thursday, January 13 from 5:30 P.M. to 9:30 P.M. Tickets: $350 for the Premier Preview and $150 for the Preferred Preview. For Private Opening tickets, call 877-835-0510 or email jcooper@armdise.org.

The booth of Barrry Friedman, Ltd., New York, at Palm Beach Contemporary. Barrry Friedman, Ltd., New York, also exhibits in SOFA expositions.

The fair opens to the public on Friday, January 14 through Sunday, January 16 from 12 noon to 7 p.m.; and Monday, January 17 from 12 noon to 6 p.m. Tickets: one day pass including catalogue is $25; one day pass is $15; multi-day pass (unlimited use), including catalogue, is $35; multi-day pass is $20; student tickets (12-18) are $10 and children under 12, accompanied by an adult are free of charge. Catalogues are $15 each.

For ticket, travel and general information, please call 561-209-1300 or visit www.palmbeach3.com and www.sofaexpo.com.

For press information contact: Sarah E. Flynn, Director of Marketing, International Fine Art Expositions, 1.561.209.1306, sflynn@ifae.com; Barbara Smythe-Jones, Public Relations Lead, SOFA, 1.800.357.7632, barbara@sofaexpo.com; Anne Kazel-Wilcox, Gold Coast Communications, 1.561.848.5757, akazel@msn.com.