Art Southampton Triumphs Over ArtHamptons For Nova's Ark

There’s nothing like a bit of competition among contemporary art fairs—of which, on the East End, there are three.In this case, it is not particularly friendly.

Last week, Art Southampton announced that it would hold its fourth annual fair from July 9 through 13 at Nova’s Ark in Bridgehampton—the perfect weekend and venue to launch the summer.

Except it formerly belonged to ArtHamptons.

The eighth annual ArtHamptons fair put on by Southampton-based Hamptons Expo Group had already started advertising its return to the sculpture park—and still is, in fact, according to its website.

“We have not finalized the location and date of our eighth edition. But it will be a prominent site in the Hamptons,” said Rick Friedman, president of Hamptons Expo Group, on Monday. “We have grown and evolved from Bridgehampton Historical Society, to Sayre Park, to Nova’s Ark.”

While Mr. Friedman declined to spell out the specifics surrounding the switch-up—he cited parking, space usage and timing restrictions, despite the fair’s current advertising campaign—Art Southampton founder and director Nick Korniloff said on Monday that he approached the sculpture park’s co-founder, Tundra Wolf, about the weekend and venue himself.

“I can’t be responsible for how [ArtHamptons] runs their business. I’m sure if they were welcome back, they would have been asked to come back. That’s my opinion,” Mr. Korniloff said. “It’s no different from any lease that exists. I don’t think we’re stepping on ArtHamptons’ toes at all. The quality of the art fair we deliver is in a different stratosphere than theirs. If they have been able to satisfy their exhibitors and collectors, I’m sure they’ll continue on in a successful manner—in whatever way they gauge success.”

For the past three years, the Art Southampton was held on the Southampton Elks Lodge grounds under a massive tent during the last weekend of July, rounding out the art fair season. The third event, Art Market Hamptons, entering its fifth year, will return to the Bridgehampton Museum grounds for its established weekend—which also happens to be July 9 to 12.

“We were always intending on coming back, no matter what, and the opportunity to take on the new location came about, so we jumped on top of that,” Mr. Korniloff said of Nova’s Ark. “I think, overall, it’s a great move for us and it makes sense for us.”

Mr. Friedman said he will “make an announcement shortly” about the date and location of ArtHamptons this summer.

“ArtHamptons is a celebration of the Hamptons arts scene and recognition that we live in such an historically rich and vibrant arts community for both the creation and patronage of fine art, dating back a century,” he said. “This is the only fair produced by Hamptonites, for Hamptonites, and we salute and honor prominent local art patrons and highly accomplished artists in the community. We take pride in helping to pioneer and excite the current surge in recognition, nationally, of the Hamptons as an elite art mecca.”