Recognized as the “gold standard for fine art print collecting” by ARTnews on April 7, 2025, the IFPDA Print Fair is an essential event for print curators and collectors. This spring, it makes its return to the Park Avenue Armory from April 9 to 12, featuring 80 exhibitors and an increased emphasis on drawings to highlight their historical connection with printmaking.
Jenny Gibbs, Executive Director of the IFPDA and IFPDA Foundation, explained, “Drawings at the IFPDA make great sense. Museums group them together because both media represent graphic thinking and the transmutation of ideas through line and pressure.” Art historian Susan Tallman further noted, “Prints [and drawings] are where artists think out loud,” emphasizing the fundamental role of monotypes in bridging the two mediums.
An exemplary piece is Edgar Degas’s moody monotype “Dancers in Rehearsal” (c. 1874–76), courtesy of Galerie Martinez D. Degas created this by drawing with ink on a metal plate and producing a single impression via a press, capturing his signature dancers. His dedication to this medium was such that his friend Marcellin Desboutin famously remarked on Degas’s obsession with monoprints.
Among the fair’s highlights are Jasper Johns’s unique early artist’s proof, Flag (1967) from ULAE, and Paula Rego’s abortion etchings, which impacted public opinion prior to legalization in Portugal, accompanied by a talk from curator Jennifer Farrell. Other notable works include Hernan Bas’s new etchings, Kiki Smith’s large graphite drawing, Max Ernst’s mixed media piece, Dana Schutz’s innovative etchings, and Francisco Goya’s historical print from The Disasters of War.
In addition to the exhibits, the fair offers a rich program of discussions featuring artists and curators such as Derrick Adams, Christophe Cherix, Susan Dackerman, Julie Mehretu, Hank Willis Thomas, and Terry Winters. The event runs from April 9 to 12 at the Park Avenue Armory. For more details, visit fineartprintfair.org.
