9TH ANNUAL BOSTON INTERNATIONAL FINE ART SHOW NOV. 10-13, 2005 Thursday Gala to Benefit The Wang Center - Friday is "Young Collectors Night"

The 9th Annual Boston International Fine Art Show (BIFAS) take places November 10-13, 2005 at The Cyclorama at The Boston Center for The Arts (BCA), 539 Tremont Street, in Boston’s South End. The only show of its kind in New England, BIFAS features 40 galleries offering both traditional and contemporary fine art, from across the United States and Europe. The show, which has become a fixture on the Boston art and social scene, features 17th to 21st century paintings, works on paper, sculpture, fine prints, photography, and more.

The Thursday evening Gala Preview benefits The Wang Center’s education program, Suskind Young At Arts. The Wang Center is one of the nation's foremost not-for-profit arts institutions, and Suskind Young At Arts was founded upon the belief that the arts are an essential part of daily life. Its mission is to motivate young people, inspire teachers, and connect communities through innovative programs in the literary, visual and performing arts. The Gala is supported by an outstanding Honorary Committee, which includes several area museum directors, and a Benefit Committee chaired by Ellen and Richard Calmas.

Friday evening is "Young Collectors Night." The evening includes special guest speaker, Missy Sullivan, Editor of The Forbes Collector with a talk entitled "What every Smart Collector Should Know: Lessons from the Connoisseurs". The evening also features a cocktail reception, and a chance to "Meet the Artists" and develop your "art smarts" with some of the most knowledgeable dealers in the world.

The show brings together some of the country's leading specialists in 19th and early 20th century paintings, complemented by a strong cross-section of contemporary galleries, and specialized dealers offering sculpture, studio furniture, and works from Japan, Russia, the Arctic and elsewhere around the globe.

This year the show welcomes several prestigious galleries exhibiting for the first time, including Spanierman Gallery (NY), Gerald Peters Gallery (NY), Guarisco Gallery (DC), and Greenwich Gallery (CT). America’s oldest family of art dealers, the Vose family of Boston will be exhibiting contemporary works of art at the show this year as Vose Contemporary Realism (MA). Outstanding returning exhibitors include Avery Galleries (PA), Blue Heron Interiors (MA), Birnam Wood Galleries (NY), Clarke Galleries (VT), Cooley Gallery (CT), Stephen M. Foster Fine Arts (DC), Gladwell and Company (London, England), McClees Gallery (PA), Questroyal Fine Art (New York), Richardson-Clarke Gallery (MA), and Tom Veilleux Gallery (ME). Also returning this year is Donna Heinley, Heinley Fine Arts (MA), a specialist in the French Barbizon school.

Among the modern to contemporary galleries returning this year are AddisonArtGallery (MA), Brick Walk Fine Art (CT), which carries artists such as Pat de Groot, Eric Aho, and others; Eisenhauer Galleries of Martha's Vineyard; David Hall Fine Art (MA); International Art Acquisitions (NY); L'Attitude Gallery and Sculpture Garden (MA); Lanoue Fine Art (MA), which opened last year on Newbury Street in Boston; Levis Benton Fine Art (NY); The Munson Gallery from Cape Cod, one the country's oldest galleries; Renjeau Galleries (MA); Sunne Savage Gallery (MA); and Gleason Fine Art (ME), which specializes in past and current Maine artists.

Demonstrating the wide variety of work available at the show, other specialist exhibitors for 2005 include Jeanne Davidson (NY), with modern Japanese prints; Fusco & Four, with Art Deco and WPA paintings and works on paper; Home and Away (ME), representing the finest contemporary Inuit artists; the Inverness County Centre of the Arts (Nova Scotia), representing regional Canadian artists; and Lazare Gallery (NJ), offering works from the Moscow School of Russian Realism. Also joining the show this year from Chicago is the prestigious Mongerson Galleries, specializing in 19th and 20th century Western art.

Free Lecture Programs — On Saturday, November 12th at 5:30pm a panel discussion entitled "Crossing Borders: Art in an International Context." The panel will include John Wurdeman owner of the Lazare Gallery, which specializes in the Moscow School of Russian Realism. Panelists will give personal perspectives on the international art scene and discuss the promise and pitfalls of a global art market. A reception, which is open to the public, will follow sponsored by the Canadian Consulate General in Boston.

On Sunday, November 13th at 2:00pm Dr. Steven Biel, Executive Director of the Humanities Center at Harvard University and author of American Gothic: A Life of America's Most Famous Painting. Biel will explore the seventy-five year history of Grant Wood’s famous painting American Gothic, which has elicited admiration, disgust, reverence, and ridicule—and has been reproduced hundreds of thousands of times, in every medium. A book signing will follow the program.

Calendar Summary
The Ninth Annual Boston International Fine Art Show (BIFAS), takes place November 10-13, 2005 at The Cyclorama at The Boston Center for The Arts, 539 Tremont Street, in Boston’s South End. A Gala Preview to benefit the Wang Center’s education program, Suskind Young At Arts takes place Thursday evening, November 10, 6:00pm to 9:00pm, and is open to the public. Tickets are $100 per person and can be purchased online at www.WangCenter.org or reserved through Dianne Harrison at 617-532-1220. Gala tickets include catering by MAX Ultimate Food, fine wine, Harpoon beers, a complimentary show catalog, and re-admission throughout the weekend. Friday, November 11th from 5:00 to 9:00 pm is "Young Collectors Night." Tickets including show admission, the lecture program and the reception are $20, and can be purchased online at www.FineArtBoston.com. Seating is limited, and advance reservations are recommended. Weekend show hours are Friday, November 11, 1:00pm – 9:00pm; Saturday, November 12, 11:00am – 8:00pm; and Sunday, November 13, 11:00am – 5:00pm. Tickets are $10 at the door, under 12 free. Saturday and Sunday lectures are free with show admission. Valet and discount parking are available, and there is a bistro café at the show catered by Garden of Eden Café. Call 617-363-0405 for more information, or visit the show web site at www.FineArtBoston.com.