Outsider Art Fair 2017 Celebrates 25 Years in New York
The Outsider Art Fair marked its 25th anniversary in New York, running from January 19 to 22, 2017, at the Metropolitan Pavilion. The fair featured 66 galleries showcasing works by self-taught, eccentric, disabled, and marginalized artists. Highlights included Gee's Bend quilts from the former slave women of the Pettway plantation in Alabama, presented by One Mile Gallery, and works by Janet Sobel and Norris Embry, offered by James Barron Gallery. Barron reported selling twenty small paintings, noting that Sobel fled pogroms in Ukraine and inspired Jackson Pollock with her drip paintings, while Embry was schizophrenic. The fair aimed to reflect the current political moment through its selection of artists.
Key facts
- Outsider Art Fair celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2017.
- The fair took place January 19–22, 2017, at Metropolitan Pavilion in New York.
- 66 galleries participated.
- One Mile Gallery presented Gee's Bend quilts made by former slave women from the Pettway plantation in Alabama.
- James Barron Gallery featured Janet Sobel and Norris Embry.
- James Barron sold twenty small paintings at the fair.
- Janet Sobel fled pogroms in Ukraine and inspired Jackson Pollock with her drip paintings.
- Norris Embry was schizophrenic.
- The fair's selection was intended to address the current political moment.
Entities
Artists
- Janet Sobel
- Norris Embry
- Jackson Pollock
Institutions
- Outsider Art Fair
- One Mile Gallery
- James Barron Gallery
- Metropolitan Pavilion
- Artribune
Locations
- New York
- United States
- Alabama
- Ukraine
- Gee's Bend
- Pettway plantation