Fair Director’s Picks: Boston 2025
As an avid art collector and Fair Director for Affordable Art Fair Boston, Erin Schuppert knows just how thrilling it feels to discover a new artwork that speaks directly to you. Ahead of the fair this Fall, get a first look at a selection of her top picks – all set to be presented by our 56 exhibitors.
Erin Schuppert
星期五 26 9 月, 2025
SOPHIE CROCKETT, 'The Ploughman's Dream', 2025, Oil on canvas, 32x40in, $8,400, ArtDog London.
The debut edition of Affordable Art Fair Boston will be an event bursting with artistic talent. But, as we’ve learnt from our many years running art fairs, there are always artworks that stop our Fair Directors in their tracks. They might find something unexpected and playful, or with quiet depth and restorative color. For Erin Schuppert, Fair Director in Boston and NYC, her top picks for our first event in Boston are perfect examples of what the fair is all about – art that makes you feel something real, and that you can imagine living with every day.
To give you an idea of what to expect this Fall, here’s a selection of Erin’s favorite pieces from ten different galleries to be found at our fair, October 23 – 26 at SoWa Power Station.
New England Galleries
13FOREST Gallery
Local artist Nicole Duennebier marries her interest in undersea ecosystems with her love of 17th century Dutch still life painting to create fantastical, dark scenes. I’m a huge fan of Gothic novels and their film adaptations, so this world that Duennebier has created in her work feels like my ideal eerie escape.
Alpha Gallery
Elizabeth Livingston paints women alone in their homes. These isolated, indoor moments when no one else can see us rendered with tender care and detail. What sounds lonely can also be comforting and blissful. I love the few and far between stress-free nights I get to curl up with a book by myself.
New England Contemporary
Rhode Island artist Ainsley Bonham Lawson was inspired by her maternal grandparents to pursue a creative career. This small portrait of Otto the dachshund feels like a family heirloom. I love the sweetness of the drawing itself, as well as the brass frame and bow.
Amai
Christy Powers begins each work by projecting a photograph onto a panel and tracing the outlines. After removing the projection, she paints the rest of the image from memory to capture the feeling that drew her to the photograph.
KW Contemporary Art
Trained as a traditional realistic painter, Chloe Saron now challenges herself to be more expressive and embrace imperfections in her work. Choosing to “fog” the scene allows the viewer to connect with the subject in their own way, taking the image in as a whole without being distracted by particular details.
Highlights from around the world
Art Dog, London
Sophie Crockett’s work draws on folk art and magic realism to depict stories from her childhood. I immediately thought of Der Blaue Reiter, the early 20th century German Expressionist movement led by Wassily Kandinsky and Franz Marc. The works coming out of that movement were spiritual, incorporated folklore, and showcased bold colors, just like The Ploughman’s Dream (main image).
Artspace Warehouse, LA
Combining elements of impressionism and graphic design, Shiri Phillips creates thickly painted, “pixelated” works. I love that this painting feels like a reveal, as if we are seeing where Phillips has scraped away the neutral top layer to expose warm colors underneath.
Galerie Duret, Paris
Ugandan artist Ronald Mugabe’s expressive and bright portraits reflect the complexities of the human condition. In this work, both the human and canine subjects gaze out directly at the viewer wearing forlorn expressions. I love the way the shadows are rendered because they seem to be larger than life and looming over the scene.
Lara Scolari Gallery, Sydney
Australian artist Lara Scolari features organic shapes and lines in her work to capture the essence of her homeland. I love the colors in this expressive work, but the shapes are also comforting to me. This looks like the platter of oysters my family serves for every Christmas dinner.
Tolman Gallery, Tokyo
I am drawn to the meditative quality and the compositional simplicity of this Japanese woodblock print by Tatsuo Ichien. He uses multiple carved blocks to build subtle layers of pigment and woodgrain, creating beautiful textures and color gradients.
Of course, these are just our picks, but most of the fun can be found wandering the aisles and seeing which pieces speak to you. We can’t wait for you to discover the fair for yourself, and hopefully find the perfect piece to take home.
Secure your tickets to join us this October 23 – 26 and be a part of our inaugural Boston adventure.
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