The IFPDA Print Fair is returning to the Park Avenue Armory from April 9–12, featuring 80 international exhibitors presenting 500 years of prints and drawings. The fair highlights the historical and conceptual relationship between the two mediums, with notable works including an Edward Hopper charcoal study and unique or hybrid pieces by artists like Françoise Gilot and Edgar Degas.
The event matters as it challenges the traditional hierarchy that privileges unique drawings over prints, a distinction that solidified in the 19th century with mechanical reproduction. By showcasing monotypes and works that blur the line between drawing and printmaking, the fair interrogates Walter Benjamin's concept of the 'aura' of the artwork and demonstrates how prints can possess equal originality and artistic presence.