I've been doing this art fair in the heart of Chelsea since 2006, and it keeps getting better and better. Two floors in the centrally located Metropolitan Pavilion in Chelsea hosts about 80 fine art galleries from all over the world twice a year (Spring and Fall), making this fair the prime place to find affordable original fine art by both emerging and mid career artists. There are versions of this fair in various other cities in the US, Europe, and Asia, but I suspect NYC is the crown jewel. The fair opens on Wednesdays with a VIP and press preview, and then opens to the public at noon on Thursday and runs through Sunday. This is also a great place to meet the artists, as many of them are present with their dealers. Lots of affordable original art by hundreds of different artists and styles!!! read more

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A great time to look at art. There's plenty of galleries that participate with 2 floors of artwork to enjoy. The prices vary from a few hundred to a few thousand for a piece. Everyone is very friendly and some of the artists fly in to share their prices. It's a great experience and worth visiting. read more

A very pleasant experience with an art fair. High recommend! A group of us went at noon when it opened this Saturday. It was the fairs 4th day and it was hopping!! The energy was good and sales abounded! All sorts of people walking out with new treasures. It was well organized and the layout very user friendly. Everyone I talked to (galleries/artists) were happy. My group had a good time enjoying the art. Lots of things I'd like to see on my own walls. And THAT says a lot! We're looking forward to the Fall show!! Even with an admission fee it's definitely worth the stop!! read more

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My friends found this art fair, and since I was already checking out Chelsea galleries I thought "why not." Tickets are $20 for access to two levels of art, with maybe a hundred vendors. It was packed, and took us nearly 15 minutes to get in (our line was apparently credit card only, with no signs or helpers indicating that). There are some high end works (Anish Kapoor and the like), but most were newcomers. Works tended to wall mounted and painted / sculpted rather than photography or prints. It's less conceptual and more figural and approachable. One of my separated friends texted me "this reminds me of the home decor section of Target"... yeah, a lot of florals and paintings of women that looked lower-end. What wasn't lower-end were the prices. I was looking for a new piece for my bedroom and there really weren't meaningful options sub-$2k. Probably something I should've expected, but I was hoping that this would be a bridge between Armory-style shows and cheap posters. This would be fun to come to if you assumed you would spend $5-10k on something kind of ridiculous (Biggie as Buddha, anyone?), but for someone who was looking to spend a few hundred on a nice photograph there wasn't much going. Also, we went on a Saturday (second to last day, but first weekend day), and the selection seemed a little picked over. A lot still on the walls but with red stickers. Booths weren't sorted by price or theme so it all felt a little disorganized, especially with the crowds. As it will likely end up a browsing experience, I'd recommend doing Independent Arts Fair, an Armory show, Chelsea galleries, or any of New York's wonderful museums over this. Just too crowded and really had to work to find stuff to suit my tastes. read more

First art show in NYC to which I have been that actually had ART not a ball of yarn nor rags on a hanger. Not much in the way of sculptures but some really good, affordable, authentic, original art. Well worth the train ride in from Tarrytown. read more

I have had such a good time at every AAF event I've attended. The artwork is mostly done by local artists and all of the work is super modern. The venue at the Metropolitan Pavilion allows for excellent lighting and space. If you want to have the best experience you need to go as early as possible. It can get very crowded as most of the events start around 7pm during the week so I assume everyone comes straight from work. They often give away goodie bags with different products and post cards with art work. If you get there even an hour after it opens they will probably all be gone. This past event that I went to had people screen printing canvas tote bags (for free) which I thought was really cool! I love the art that comes with these events. AAF is an experience that you can really only find in NYC. There is a ton of talent and you can spend as little as 30 minutes or as long as hours walking through the exhibit. You don't have to purchase anything and aren't heckled to do so. If you're available and in the area I truly recommend checking it out! read more

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Went to the Affordable Art Fair Sunday. What a joke, prices were not affordable. I was at the Art Expo a few weeks back and prices were similar to those at the Affordable Art Fair. The under $500 section was sad (they had it on a wall by the entrance). And there weren't even that many pieces for under $1,000. Typical prices were a few thousand, with many of the larger pieces $5,000-$10,000. I would not say that any of these prices, the fair should have been termed affordable. And also, it was crowded, and when I got my tickets, I didn't get a map of the fair, so we were wandering aimlessly. I did see some people with maps and guides, so apparently it was available, I'm just not sure where to have gone to get it read more

This is first of all a SCENE. It is just a fun place to visit. The artwork is mostly quite good, often very innovative - often magnificent!!! - and there is a cafe area with sandwiches, coffee, beer and wine -- and fun people watching, even a bit of socializing :-) It is incredibly well organized. - Wednesday evening is "private viewing" for an extra fee, you get early access to view the artwork. - Thursday evening there is a cocktail hour, complementary cocktails for an extra fee - Friday evening there is a two hour period where admission is free! - Saturday and Sunday vary in how busy they are. "Affordable" means under $10,000. (NYC!) Thursday through Sunday, twice per year, fall and spring. Usually on West 18th street in Manhattan. Highly recommended. read more

First things first. If you want to find something good and at a good price, make sure you go early. By the last day, there are still very good pieces, but not at very good prices. I first went to the Fair a few years ago. Don't get this review wrong. If they called it just an art fair, I would have rated them higher. Half the galleries are outside the U.S. (and they aren't coming all this way to sell you something affordable or at a good price). The quality is very good though. I brought back a few cards and a phone full of pictures to look though and see what I like (you can go to the galleries and basically get the same price). For the most, the prices range from $750 for smaller pieces (a square foot) to $10,000 for the much larger. Still, for $20 it was a good way to spend an afternoon. And now I can go see how these artists are going at auction. read more

This Art Fair is one of my favorites in NYC. Lots of opportunities to go for free and during evening hours. Cutting edge contemporary works from galleries both local and international. Very well put together. Visually compelling and some interesting art talks also. Keep in mind that affordable means $10K and under. read more

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This was a wonderful experience. The art was interesting and often very beautiful. The gallery representatives and the artists who were present were pleasant and informative. I think the bad reviews of this fair are due to the very relative nature of the term, "affordable." Fortunately the reviews I read prepared me for the fact that very little is under $500; a number of the works are around $1500 and some of the art can go up to $10,000. No, this isn't necessarily what many of us would consider inexpensive. However, if one has spent some time looking at art, and the cost of framing even the cheapest of prints, it becomes clear that $1500 isn't all that extravagant. Buying a framed print from a home decor store can cost $500 to $700 and it isn't an original or one of a kind. I left with a lovely piece of art and a wonderful feeling about my experience and my purchase. read more

Went to the annual affordable art fair this past weekend. The variety and quality of the art work is really stunning. Wouldn't call it affordable in the strict sense of the word, but it's affordable for people who can afford art. A typical piece sells for $2-3K. The under $1K section is limited, and the under $500 section is mainly small (smaller than 8''x10'') pieces. By the time we went on the second-to-last day, there was still lots of beautiful stuff. Recommend going early in the morning since crowds do tend to pick up later in the afternoon. read more

This was the absolute worst! I paid around $100 to be one of the first people in there and it was insanely CROWDED The "fair" is VERY SMALL The prices are NOT AFFORDABLE, in fact it was EXPENSIVE. I would not go back to this event. I would never pay to go and could not encourage you to save your money anymore than this. What a complete waste! 100% disappointing Whoever is responsible for this show should be beyond ashamed of themselves they are nothing more than an opportunistic deceptive thief. read more

I enjoyed coming to the Metropolitan Pavilion for this event. I fell in love with a few pieces of art. Couldn't afford them, but I was able to take a few photos and talk to the people selling them. Not really affordable for me, at all. But I did see several older people buying art. There were 2 levels of art. My friend and I wished that there were more. Maybe a third floor. There are SO many amazing artists in NYC they could have definitely had another level filled up. Overall a good experience. I would not pay the $20 admission again, though. read more

My boyfriend and I went to the fair on its last day this past Sunday. A lot of art seemed to have been sold by this time. The price points of the artwork left was still not too affordable (would be best to come early if indeed the pieces that were bought in the first few days of the fair were more affordable). Would recommend getting there on the first day for anyone interested in going the next time it comes around. read more

They should change the name to "The Almost Affordable Art Fair.". Lots of nice pieces but very few things in the truly affordable range. I guess that word is relative but almost everything that is larger than 9 x 11 is read more

My husband and I went to the art fair last year. There is so much to choose from it is almost overwhelming but we purchased a beautiful piece that I look at every day and I love. read more

I've been to this event 4 years in a row and although they have some cool stuff, mostly in the modern and contemporary genre, it's getting a little stale. I actually lost count of the amount of lithographs/silkscreens etc. of Marilyn Monroe this year- Andy Warhol obviously inspired a huge body of work by many other people, but I'd like to see the curators innovate and move on a bit from there. "Affordable" is relative, so if $5-10k is in your price range it's likely you'll find something of interest. The catch being that many of these artists are unknown and there's no way to speculate. If you aren't concerned about price, you can buy away, but if your pockets aren't bottomless you can find equally beautiful and unique pieces for much less elsewhere. People watching is great. read more

this was my first time going to this fair and i was very impressed by the pieces. i of course can't afford any of it ha! but it was nice to see an opening for a change. i never get to go to the great art openings in the city. staff was very friendly. bathrooms are clean. some of the galleries r kinda of snooty but i guess thats how most of them are. it was fun and i def. would go again. read more

From a somewhat informed collector and a fan of the arts in general. I really liked the Affordable Art Fair. Kudos to the organizers for putting together a broad, diverse set or galleries and artists of, arguably, high quality, with very few exceptions. You will not like everything, you will not understand everything but rarely will you come out of a booth saying "ugh" - a rare outcome in today's contemporary art world. The one - major - criticism I would have is this: very little at the Affordable Art Fair is actually "affordable". In all fairness, I went to the private viewing on opening night and I imagine that the less affordable pieces are more prominently displayed for that occasion. That said, I came out of the event with the feeling that a majority of the pieces (or at least of the more interesting ones) are priced in the $7,000-$10,000 range. And here is my take on this: - if $10k is nothing to you, go for it; you will get a nice painting that you will love to hang on your living room wall; - if you are looking to simply decorate your apartment, then my view is that there are much cheaper, yet equally pleasing options out there; - finally, if you are looking for some sort of investment and want to put $10k to work, you should consider this: most of the artists represented at AAF will most likely never come out of anonymity (this is just the nature of the art world) and therefore do not objectively deserve a mark-up, let alone $10k for a 20'x20', no matter how beautiful the piece; if you have toured the auction world a bit, you will know that there are a lot of much safer options out there for this kind of money, including in the contemporary art world; my advice is: for $10k, buy yourself a nice Damien Hirst print or bid for a unique piece by a more established artist; you will be better off in the long run. Bottom line: go to the Affordable Art Fair for the great show - definitely; but at these prices, you should probably put your money somewhere else. read more