RECORD SALES AND ATTENDANCE AT ELEVENTH ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL EXPOSITION OF
SCULPTURE OBJECTS & FUNCTIONAL ART: SOFA CHICAGO 2004

Opening Night Preview guests.

Enjoying new Paul Stankard botanicals at Marx-Saunders Gallery, Chicago.

Dealers, collectors and record crowds of 34,000 agreed that the 11th annual SOFA CHICAGO 2004, held at Navy Pier on November 5- 7, was, in the words of Ken Saunders, “A banner show.” Saunders of Marx-Saunders Gallery, Chicago, said, “This year’s exposition was exceptional, the planning was exceptional, and the Opening Night change, moving away from a charity event to a collector and dealer event, was a brilliant stroke. We had our best Opening Night by far and it set the tone for the whole weekend. It was very successful for all the dealers, I’m certain.”

Kenn Holsten of Holsten Galleries, Stockbridge, MA, which premiered new work by Dale Chihuly and Lino Tagliapietra, agreed, “It was our best Opening Night ever at any show. Excellent collector turnout. We’re very happy—this was our most successful SOFA to-date. Attendance was strong throughout the show and we saw a lot of serious collectors.”

Collectors George and Dorothy Saxe with artist Lino Tagliapietra and his wife, Lena.

Ken Saunders continued, “Of real note was the great mass of collectors that came from all over the country—we always have the artists and the collectors (at SOFA) but this year it seemed that every collector felt that Chicago was the place to be. And of course this buzz percolated throughout the entire gallery district, and I think all the galleries in Chicago benefited from SOFA.”

Scott Jacobson of Leo Kaplan Modern said, “This SOFA was our best ever, by far.” Glass artist Dan Dailey was the top seller at the Leo Kaplan booth, selling six major works ranging from $44,000 – 74,000 each.

Dan Dailey Lookout Leo Kaplan Modern, NY, NY		Klaus Moje Landscape, 2004 Heller Gallery, NY, NY

Heller Gallery, New York, premiered new work by Klaus Moje, selling major pieces by the Australian glass master (VIEW QUICKTIME VIDEO OF MOJE AT SOFA). Katya Heller said, “We had a very good show. We are so pleased for Klaus, whose new body of work we have waited for for several years, and it was very well received—two pieces are promised to excellent museums.” Heller also sold major works by Nicole Chesney and Vladimira Klumpar.

Erwin Eisch Glass Head - Inward Gaze, 2000 Barry Friedman Ltd., NY, NY		Frantisek Vizner Green Bowl with Peak, 2003 Barry Friedman Ltd., NY, NY

Barry Friedman of Barry Friedman, Ltd. New York, said, “We had an excellent show. We did as well here (in Chicago) as we do in shows in New York and Europe.” Friedman presented key focus exhibits of blown glass sculptural busts by Erwin Eisch, who pioneered the European Studio Glass Movement (VIEW QUICKTIME VIDEO OF EISCH AT SOFA); and abstract vessel forms by renowned Czech glass sculptor Frantisek Vizner. Also selling at Barry Friedman were major sculptures by Stanislav Libensky and Jaroslava Brychtova from 1996-8; and Michael Glancy.

Ferrin Gallery, Lenox, MA

Four large cast and cut glass sculptures by Gisela Sabokova were top sellers at Caterina Tognon Arte Contemporeanea, Venice and Bergamo, Italy. Franklin Parrasch Gallery, New York sold a major bronze sculpture by Stephen DeStabler. Ferrin Gallery, Lenox, MA, reported a terrific show. Tatianna Marsden of Barrett Marsden Gallery, London, reported sales of key works by UK ceramic masters Alison Britton, Ken Eastman, Chun Liao (one of which was promised to the Museum of Arts and Design in New York), and Philip Eglin. Also selling were two major pieces by Tessa Clegg. Marsden said, “We sold to repeat clients but also to a major new glass client.”

Stephen DeStaebler Winged Figure with Three Legs Franklin Parrasch Gallery, Inc. NY, NY		Ken Eastman Back to the Country Barrett Marsden Gallery, London, UK

Hans Coper Hour Glass, 1965 Galerie Besson, London, UK

Galerie Besson. London, sold two seminal mid-century modern works by Hans Coper and two early Ruth Duckworth ceramic teapot and cruet sets circa 1950. Also selling well at Galerie Besson were contemporary ceramics by Jennifer Lee, Shozo Michikawa and Aki Moriuchi. Basalt and stoneware tea sets by Julian Stair sold very well at British Crafts Council, London.

Norma Minkowitz sculpture at Bellas Artes/Thea Burger, Santa Fe, NM and New York, NY.

Galleri Grønlund, Vaerloese, Denmark at SOFA CHICAGO 2004.

Tai Gallery/Textile Arts, Santa Fe, NM

Charlotte Kornstein of Bellas Artes/Thea Burger, Santa Fe, NM, which represented new works by Ruth Duckworth, Richard DeVore, Norma Minkowitz and Olga de Amaral, said, “We had a very good show!” Other dealer comments reflected similar sentiments. Steve Halvorsen of Tai Gallery/Textile Arts, Santa Fe, NM, said, “We’ve had a great fair.” Karen O’Clery of Narek Gallery, Tanja, Australia said, “We’ve done brilliant(ly)….There’s no wood sculpture left to take home!” Galleri Grønlund, Vaerloese, Denmark sold almost every Tobias Mohl and Steffan Dam glass sculpture they brought: “Our second year (at SOFA) was a breakthrough for us, and for many of the Danish galleries at SOFA.” Galleri Nørby, Copenhagen, agreed, selling all but one of the Michael Geertsen ceramics they brought, as well as key Bodil Manz porcelain cylinders.

John McQueen Critical Mass, 2003 Perimeter Gallery, Chicago, IL		Jan Hopkins Minerva Thirteen Moons Gallery, Santa Fe, NM

Major wood and fiber sales included 4 cocobolo vessel forms by William Hunter sold by Del Mano Gallery, Los Angeles; a major John McQueen sculpture sold by Perimeter Gallery, Chicago; two Lanny Bergner charcoal aluminum screen sculptures by Snyderman-Works Galleries, Philadelphia; and two Alaskan Yellow Cedar bark figural sculptures by Jan Hopkins at Thirteen Moons Gallery, Santa Fe, NM.

Agneta Hobin Claire de Lune, 2003 browngrotta arts, Wilton, CT

Ed Rossbach: Quiet Revolutionary Special Exhibit

Andrew Bae of Andrew Bae Gallery, Chicago said, “As a first time exhibitor, I found the quality of work to be very high. Many of the (SOFA) galleries brought their really best pieces, not the easiest to sell, but the very best quality. They had the confidence they could sell them.” Tom Grotta of browngrotta arts, Wilton, CT, who organized the acclaimed retrospective Special Exhibit, Ed Rossbach: Quiet Revolutionary, agreed: “This show was really well received by collectors and the public. I heard nothing but rave reviews. They looked at it like a museum show, which is what it is supposed to be.”

Assocition of Israel's Decorative Arts Special Exhibit.

Visiotors enjoying a Lecture Series presentation.

Five Special Exhibits and 34 Lecture Series presentations, educational in nature and free to SOFA attendees, delighted cognoscenti as well as the general arts-interested public. A record crowd of 3,438 persons attended the Lecture Series. Anne Meszko, Director of Educational Programming for SOFA said, “The Lecture Series schedule presented a challenging range of international speakers and topics. I was glad to see such a diverse audience, from high-school students to senior museum curators. The fact that the audience keeps growing in size reinforces our commitment to educational programming.”

Richard Jolley, Leo Kaplan Modern, NY, NY blowing glass on the Hot Glass Roadshow stage.

Returning for the third year, The Corning Museum of Glass’ Hot Glass Roadshow, the world’s finest mobile glassblowing unit, entertained hundreds of SOFA visitors, as did woodturning presentations organized by The Chicago Woodturners and Collectors of Wood Art, the latter holding its annual conference at SOFA.

Mark Lyman, President and Founder of SOFA CHICAGO and its sister show, SOFA NEW YORK said, “While attendance figures are still being compiled, we estimate that we will beat our best attendance record of 33,000 visitors set in 2002. But the success of this SOFA is not just about the volume of visitors or sales reported by dealers—it is about the quality of the artworks offered, which by all accounts was outstanding this year, and about the broadening attendance of sophisticated collectors and visitors from all over the country.”

View Artwork Sold, Artist and Dealer Interviews, and Images from SOFA CHICAGO 2004.