Promotion
AS PART of its most extensive talks programme ever, Buy Art Fair - one of the UK’s most important festivals of visual arts - will offer the Northern art world a unique chance to put questions to renowned collector Frank Cohen.
Cohen’s interview forms the centrepiece of Buy Art Fair’s most ambitious talks programme ever
Frank Cohen is a well-known figure on the international art scene, having judged the prestigious Turner Prize in 2003 and featured in ARTnews magazine’s list of ‘The Top 200 Collectors in the World.’ Following the triumphant launch of his Fortnum’s X Frank installation of modern British art across six floors of Fortnum and Mason last week, Cohen is keen to sustain the general public’s growing awareness of and interest in art, hence his unprecedented decision to answer questions from Buy Art Fair visitors in his home city of Manchester.
Thom Hetherington, CEO of Buy Art Fair - who approached Cohen to get involved in the fair and will be conducting the interview - says: “Frank is a legend on the global art scene, but equally he has always remained deeply committed to the city where he grew up. The art ecology in Manchester and the wider North has blossomed in recent years, particularly in terms of public institutions, but there is still much to be done up here and I think Frank’s wealth of experience and global perspective have never been more relevant and important. It’s a huge coup to have him here.”
Cohen, who will be taking questions from the audience at the end of the interview, says: “There are so many wonderful places to see art in the North now, from The Whitworth to the Hepworth, but it’s still far too difficult for people to find somewhere they can acquire a piece of their own. The best thing you can do for an artist is to buy their work.
“I’m delighted to see Buy Art Fair going from strength to strength, and I was pleased to be asked to take part in the discussion. I’m sure I’ll be fielding some interesting questions and, after almost 50 years of collecting art, hopefully I can offer some valuable insights!”
Cohen’s interview forms the centrepiece of Buy Art Fair’s most ambitious talks programme ever. In addition to the 100+ exhibiting galleries and artists, the fair will host ‘Fair Cities’ - a conference exploring how art markets develop within global cities - and esteemed art academic Pavel Büchler will host an ‘In Conversation’ discussion, focusing on the reinvention of the local artist. There will also be print workshops with Hot Bed Press and guided tours of The Manchester Contemporary, plus adult and children's art classes.
The fair, which has sold over £3.5m of art and firmly cemented its position as the most important art fair outside London, also hosts The Manchester Contemporary: an incubator for artistic talent, supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.
Thom Hetherington says: “We still live in a London-centric country, particularly in the art world, but Buy Art Fair has proven that with the right exposure and engagement a sizable audience of collectors can be developed in the North of England. It certainly helps to have Frank Cohen for inspiration!”
The Q&A takes place at Buy Art Fair, Old Granada Studios, at 11am on Saturday 24 September. To buy tickets for Buy Art Fair and The Manchester Contemporary, 22-25 September, visit www.buyartfair.co.uk
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