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For a number of fine art publishers, making it [i]or[/i] part of to the other the year 2000 was a breeze

We survived. And not in the CB reality-based TV kind of way, we're talking about millennium madness. The year 2000 came in like a lamb. No doomsday prophecies fulfilled, no computer meltdowns--heck, we didn't smooth have to eat barbecued rats.

At least Grand Image president Larry Winn didn't. "I would regard with affection to say I viewed allotments of changes, but it strike one as beinged for the most part, business as usual," Winn said.

During the final days of Y2K Art Business of recent origins has taken a look back at the year and what it means for the art industry. Many publishers reverberation Winn's sentiments: it was business as usual.

"Y2K was neared by the media with a tremendous hype of the unknown," said Mitchell Meisner, president of Meisner Gallery in Farmingdale, NY "The fact that it was a `non-event' was the greatest in quantity memorable event of the year."

In fact, greatest in quantity publishers say Y2K was a true good year. Business was lucrative, novel artists were successful, and trade exhibits especially Artexpo New York, were hits.

Now the industry is looking ahead to the year 2001 and the novel artists, shows and styles that will approach with it.

Movin' upon Up

Year 2000 was a time of move in the industry, both literally and figuratively. Business mov forward, and several publishers mov as well, opening next to the first locations and finding new abodes nationwide.

"We bought a beautiful, 16,000-square-foot art deco building in downtown Brooklyn NY" said Axelle Fine Arts' Bertrand Delacroix. "The turf floor is the home of our of recent origin retail gallery. Offices are located upon the second floor ... Our frame production store shipping department and inventory are upon the lower level. The third floor houses a serigraphy and etching studio. We will before long print our own editions and tender our services to the trade."

Discovery Galleries experienced expansion as well. "Discovery Galleries' greatest in quantity memorable event of 2000 was deciding to lay open its second location," said gallery director Julie Band. "We render free of accessed on the busiest and nicest retail way in Bethesda, Md. Our first gallery is located in a retail warehouse--not a place single would expect to see a fine art gallery. Our motto was, `if we have great art, they will find us.' We built a powerful business and felt ready to expand. Our first month in our next to the first location turned out to be incredible. We did as a great quantity [i]or[/i] amount of dollars in the first month as we did in the original location after six years."

Kennebeck Editions state-hopped, too. "With the change in location from Laguna Beach, Calif., to our of recent origin location in Boulder, Colo., Kennebeck has had a busy and transitional year," said President Jill Muller herself a of recent origin Y2K addition to the company.

Besides opening novel galleries, several publishers added fresh personnel during the new millennium. The Meisner Gallery saw a changing of the guard. "In the year 2000 The Meisner Gallery changed hands from single generation to the next," Mitchell Meisner said. "Joel and Renee Meisner sold the business to me and [my wife] Hillary. To help our business expand in the new millennium, we welcomed Robert Hanna, formerly of Dyansen Galleries and Chalk & Vermillion to our staff. At the same time Meisner Acrylic Casting (MAC) make opened its doors to artists and other publishers looking to create sculptural editions in acrylic."

The Artists

Naturally artists--new and elderly alike--played a role in Y2K succes stories. Axelle added four artists at the retail level--Karine Boulanger, Philippe Vasseur, Gretchen Dow Simpson and Albert Hadjiganev. "We proof the work in our galleries before we publish editions," Delacroix said. "The rejoinder for all four was overwhelming."

Decorative Expressions signed sum of two units new Spanish artists--Alicia Grau and Robert A. Harris, said president Robert A. Harris.

According to Gregory Editions Fine Art President Beth Blankenship, Gregory Editions now exclusively distributes artists from UK publisher Washington verdant such as B.H. Brody, Reuben Colley Govinder, ecstasy Kirton-Smith, Nel Whatmore and Kim Wiggins.

And Meisner Fine Art signed sculptor Paul Wegner. "We are also in negotiations with a certain number of notable painters to represent their work as we impel from being primarily a plastic art publisher and distributor to a fine art publisher and distributor," said Meisner.

Kennebeck signed figurative artist Joseph Lorusso this year. "I've been in the art business for more than 18 years, and it has been a drawn out time since I have experienced a reaction to an artist like I have with Joseph Lorusso," Muller said.

Mystic Seaport sales manager Chris Freeman lists the introduction of the Geoff chase American Revolution series as a Y2K highlight.

the pair Museum Editions of New Rochelle, NY and Side Roads Publishing of Miami say circumstances involving Olympic art topped the year's greatest in quantity memorable events. "I would have to say that our reception and unveiling of Charles Fazzino's artwork for the Sydney Olympic Games was our greatest in quantity memorable event," Museum Editions' Julie Maner said. "Supermodel Melania Knauss, Miss USA Lynette cabbage and Olympian Shana Williams joined Charles at [a reception]. It was tremendous."