Organizers are expecting up to 1,000 art and rare book collectors to pack this year’s St. Louis Fine Print, Rare Book and Paper Arts Fair presented by the St. Louis Mercantile Library at the University of Missouri–St. Louis. The number of dealers has increased to twenty-six this year and includes nationally-known dealers from around the country.

“We’ve added two new St. Louis dealers to the Fair, in addition to welcoming back the dealers who’ve helped us build the Fair these past seven years” said Julie Dunn-Morton, curator of fine art collections at the Mercantile Library.   “And we’re excited to add contemporary photography to the list of artwork being offered.”

Returning this year will be New York’s Susan Teller Gallery featuring American art of the 1930s and 40s, especially industrial realism and modernism; Kiechel Fine Art, specialists in the work of Thomas Hart Benton; St. Louisan Anthony Garnett with his antiquarian, first edition and international book titles; and Judith Haudrich Antique Prints specializing in 17th – 19th century botanical and historical subjects.

One of the Mercantile’s returning dealers, Stevens Fine Art from Phoenix, Ariz., handles American and European art from the late 19th and early 20th centuries and includes Depression era art, New York urban and city subjects as well as WPA and California impressionists. New this year are Stephen Ryan Fine Arts featuring rare books and fine prints, and Photography Past & Present with works by contemporary American photographers.

Three local artists will be on hand Sunday to offer lively demonstrations: The Firecracker Press, a graphic design and letterpress print shop; watercolorist Daven Anderson; and Joanne Kluba from Paper Birds, book design, binding and artwork.

Proceeds from the preview and fair will benefit the Mercantile Library collections acquisition and conservation funds. Visit printfair.umsl.edu or call 314-516-6740 for more information.

The St. Louis Mercantile Library at the University of Missouri St. Louis is the oldest cultural institution in Missouri and the oldest library in continuous existence west of the Mississippi River.  Founded by philanthropic businessmen in the 1840s as a subscription library, the Mercantile is a library of American history and culture whose collections include manuscripts, books, maps, and art.  It contains the largest research collection in North America on railroad history and inland waterways heritage, as well as one of the largest collections of rare and documentary photographs, historic newspapers and archives in the state of Missouri.