Photos: Jenna Duffy for Artcards

Last week the Park Avenue Armory was buzzing with activity. A fantastical building, it was made even more enticing by the IFPDA Print Fair. In its 20th year, this fair has become the primary destination for all lovers of prints. The selection of dealers, and represented artists was varied. Among the international galleries were New York powerhouses Pace, Marlborough, and the ubiquitous Jim Kempner who was proudly touting his recent web series The Madness of Art. There was an abundance of high quality portfolios from international superstars like Chuck Close, Wayne Thiebau and Richard Serra. While the fair was full of incredibly beautiful art I would be lying if I said the air didn’t feel a little stuffy. This only served to heighten the impact of those booths dedicated to work by contemporary artists. About halfway through my visit to the fair I stumbled into the booth of San Francisco based Arion Press. This was my first introduction to the print/publishing house. Arion’s mission is to combine the work of contemporary artists with classic works of literature. The resulting collaborations are often spellbinding. Arion will soon publish Jim Thompson’s South of Heaven in collaboration with Raymond Pettibon. For the project Pettibon provided 40 illustrations in his signature style. It is encouraging to see a print house collaborating directly with an artist, in order to create a new, vital body of work. I am already looking forward to Arion’s next collaboration with Julie Mehretu who will provide a series of illustrations for a new translation of Sapho.