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Photo L.A. is an international art photography fair held annually in Los Angeles. The fair was established in 1992 [1] and is visited by between ten and eighteen thousand attendees annually. [2] [3]
Photo L.A. was founded in 1992 by photography dealer and gallerist Stephen Cohen. [4] It was initially officially called the Los Angeles International Photographic Print Exposition. [5] The first edition (1991) was a table-top exposition at Butterfield & Butterfield auction house on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, California. [6] In 2011, Photo L.A. joined artLA Projects, a citywide program of art installations, exhibitions, seminars, and conversations at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. [7] In 2014, it moved to The LA Mart building in Downtown Los Angeles. [8]
In 2018, Claudia James Bartlett became owner and director of Photo L.A. [9] [10] In 2019, Photo L.A. moved to the Barker Hangar, Santa Monica. [11] The hangar's 35,000 square foot space [12] hosted 60+ galleries, collectives, non-profit organizations, art schools, and booksellers from China, France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Hungary, Peru, and more. [13] The opening night honored LA-based artist Jo Ann Callis and benefitted Venice Arts. [14]
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic during June 2020, Photo L.A. hosted its first art photography virtual fair [15] with virtual installation showcases presented by the J. Paul Getty Museum and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. [16]
Photo L.A. hosts a content series during each fair, with lectures, panel discussions, and docent tours led by professionals in photography. [17]