19th Annual Boston International Fine Art Show (BIFAS) Gala Preview to benefit the McMullen Museum of Art at Boston College

The 19th Annual Boston International Fine Art Show (BIFAS) will take place October 22-25, 2015 with an October 22 Gala Preview from 5:30pm – 8:30pm to benefit the McMullen Museum of Art at Boston College.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.bc.edu/mcmullengala. The McMullen Museum of Art has offered world-class exhibitions in Devlin Hall on Boston College’s Chestnut Hill Campus since 1993. Having outgrown its present facilities and thanks to a generous lead gift from the McMullen Family Foundation, the Museum has embarked on the renovation of and an addition to a Renaissance Revival palazzo at 2101 Commonwealth Avenue, which will serve as its new expanded home, upon its completion in 2016. For more information on the museum please visit www.bc.edu/artmuseum. Weekend show hours are Friday 1-8pm, Saturday 11-8pm, and Sunday 11-5pm. Tickets are $15, under 12 free. Tickets include complimentary admission to panel discussions and programs by guest speakers, re-admission, show catalog, and coat check.  A bistro café and discount and valet parking are also available. For more information, visit www.FineArtBoston.com or call 617.363.0405

Diversity is the key word for BIFAS, the only show of its kind in New England. With no restrictions on the type of work that may be shown, works on offer range from fine original prints priced at a few hundred dollars to museum-quality masterpiece paintings priced in the millions. The show enjoys a mix of blue chip traditional works, twentieth-century modernist genres, a wide spectrum of art from numerous countries, and outstanding emerging and established contemporary artists.

The roster of new and returning dealers includes 555 Gallery (MA), Adelson Galleries (MA), Avery Galleries (PA), The Banks Gallery (NH), Bowersock Gallery (MA & FL), Brock & Co. (MA), Colm Rowan (NY), The Cooley Gallery (CT), Edward T. Pollack Fine Arts (ME), Eisenhauer Gallery (MA), Fountain Street Fine Art (MA), Framont (CT), Garvey Rita Art & Antiques (CT), Gerald Peters Gallery (NY), Gladwell & Patterson (UK), Gleason Fine Art (ME), Lawrence Fine Art (NY), Martha Richardson Fine Art (MA), Principle Gallery (VA & SC), Questroyal Fine Art (NY), Renjeau Galleries (MA), Susanna J. Fichera Fine Art (ME), Susan Powell Fine Art (CT), Vose Galleries (MA), William Greenbaum Fine Prints (MA), William Vareika Fine Arts (RI) and others. 

Special programs take place throughout the weekend at the show.  Special guest speakers, panel discussions, dealer booth talks and more are all included with admission to the show.

Friday October 23, 2015

5:00 - 8:00 – Friday Discovery Night

Explore the offerings of 40 galleries and discover a new passion. Talk with the experts and meet the artists.  Join us for a special Friday evening reception, booth talks by exhibitors and more.

Saturday October 24, 2015

3:00pm – Art Market Insights: An Inside Perspective

Join Joshua Rose, editor of American Fine Art Magazine, and a panel of experts for a close-up look at the art market today. Discover how art world insiders view the market for fine art, and the value of knowledge, research, and passion when collecting fine art. Bring your questions for a lively exchange!  Panelists to be announced.

Sunday October 25, 2015 - Two American Masters

2:00pm – Yours Sincerely, John S. Sargent

In celebration of the recent gift to the MFA of the John Singer Sargent Archive by Jan and Warren Adelson and Richard and Leonee Ormand, the current Museum of Fine Arts exhibition “Yours Sincerely, John S. Sargent” brings the painter to life through his letters, photographs, and sketches. Join Erica Hirshler, Croll Senior Curator of American Paintings at the MFA for an intimate look at one of Boston’s most beloved artists.

3:00pm – The Light and Memory: John La Farge and Stained Glass

John La Farge’s windows are notable not only for their technical innovations, but also represent an unusually sophisticated understanding of the historical role of the medium and the aesthetic issues raised by the experience of viewing stained glass. La Farge carefully considered how his windows would be perceived and understood as a sign of the sacred, and anticipated key aspects of modern art theory. The presentation will be illustrated with photos of stained glass in New England.  Presented by Jeffery Howe, curator of the exhibition, "John La Farge and the Recovery of Sacred", currently on view at the McMullen Museum of Art, Devlin Hall, Boston College. 

Editor’s Notes:

•Additional background on the McMullen Museum and BIFAS on request.

• Interviews are available with the show producers and museum representatives

• On-site show coverage is encouraged.