Art Southampton, 2015

Wednesday, July 1, 2015, Cleveland, OH – Contessa Gallery is pleased to be participating in Art Southampton again this year. Art Southampton, now in its 4^th season, has established its reputation for premiering the best and highest quality of 20th- and 21st-century artworks in the Hamptons. The fair will run from July 9^th – 13^th. Contessa Gallery will be displaying works by notable contemporary artists Mr. Brainwash, David Datuna, and David Drebin, seminal works by Hanneke Beaumont, Jasper Johns, and Thomas Scoon, as well as introducing the works of Gilles Cenazandotti to the United States.

Thierry Guetta, internationally known as Mr. Brainwash, followed and documented street artists on film beginning in 1999, ultimately filming the most famous street artist: Banksy. At the encouragement of Banksy, Guetta began creating his own street art and had his first solo show as Mr. Brainwash in 2008. Mr. Brainwash’s artistic evolution is documented in the Banksy-directed and Oscar-nominated film, Exit Through the Gift Shop. Known for his Pop Art feel and street-art style, Guetta creates his works by fusing historical pop figures and imagery with current cultural iconography. After selling out an entire booth dedicated to Mr. Brainwash in two previous shows, Contessa Gallery looks forward to showing the artist’s newest works at Art Southampton.

Last year was a watershed year for David Datuna. The artists Portrait of America, part of his Viewpoint of Billions series, showed at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery. This groundbreaking work utilized wearable technology allowing the viewers to interact with images embedded within the artwork. As the viewers explored the works visually, their reactions were recorded, archived, and streamed worldwide through the web. Datuna’s success continued with Contessa Gallery’s presentation of Nostalgia for Warhol at Art Miami 2014. This group of transformative portraits of Marilyn Monroe are part of the artist’s Golden Triangle series. This recurring triumvirate in Datuna's reportage explores past, present and future, thematically linking to our time and culture. 2015 is proving to be another great year for David Datuna, as it is marked by the movie premier of Datuna: Portrait of America, a documentary film on the artist. Highlighting the artist’s great success, this year at Art Miami New York Contessa Gallery premiered Datuna’s latest endeavor: new wall sculptures which incorporate Swarovski crystals into the complex web of eyeglasses laid over his portraits and flags. Contessa Gallery will be showcasing these Swarovski crystal wall sculptures at Art Southampton, which are certain to be a crowd favorite.

David Drebin is one of the most successful and highly collected photographers working today. Contessa Gallery’s 2012 exhibition, David Drebin Photographs, was Drebin’s third one-man show at the gallery and celebrated the exclusive U.S. release of his newest book,Beautiful Disasters. His work was featured alongside photography giants including Penn, Avedon, and Meisel in Fashion!, one of the most comprehensive exhibitions of fashion photography ever mounted (Fotografiska Museet in Stockholm). Contessa Gallery will feature Drebin’s most recent works in photography, lightboxes, and Neon light installations at Art Southampton, which illuminate the secret thoughts of the Femme Fatales who inhabit the elusive world of his dramatic photographs.

About Contessa Gallery

Founded in 1999, Contessa Gallery offers artworks of exceedingly high quality as well as art acquisition counsel to collectors, museums, and institutions. Areas of expertise encompass pre-twentieth century, Modern and Contemporary sculpture, paintings, photography, and works on paper. While many galleries focus primarily upon artist representation and promotion, Contessa Gallery is collector oriented. The Gallery’s mission is to assist clients in developing collections that have deep personal meaning. Contessa Gallery encourages its clients to view their collections as a legacy to be passed down through generations of family or on to museums.

The gallery continues to expand its clientele and reputation through its participation in prestigious art fairs such as Art Miami, The American International Fine Art Fair (AIFAF), and The Armory Show – Modern. At the philanthropic level, Contessa Gallery seeks to make a difference in the community through the contribution of time, expertise, sponsorship, and educational programming for museums and arts organizations.

For more detailed information about the gallery, artists, exhibition history, art fair schedule, and philanthropic support, please visit our website:www.contessagallery.com or contact Steve Hartman at 216.956.2825 or via email:art@contessagallery.com.

For high-res images of the above mentioned works please contact Rebecca Roman at 216.382.7800 or via email: rebecca@contessagallery.com.

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