Co-Producers Tony Fusco and Robert Four are pleased to announce the Sixteenth Annual Boston International Fine Art Show (BIFAS), to take place Thursday - Sunday, November 15-18, 2012 at The Cyclorama at the Boston Center for The Arts, 539 Tremont Street in Boston's hip and historic South End.  Both traditional and contemporary galleries from the United States and Europe will offer more than 3,000 original works of art.  The show opens with the Gala Preview on Thursday, November 15 from 5:30 to 8:30pm.  Weekend show hours are Friday 1pm-8pm, Saturday 11am-8pm and Sunday 11am-5pm.  Tickets are $15, under 12 free.  Friday evening November 16 is  "New Collectors' Night", and guest lectures take place throughout the weekend.  For more information, visit www.FineArtBoston.com or call 617-363-0405.

The only show of its kind in New England, BIFAS has no restrictions on the type of work that may be shown.  Works on offer range from fine original prints priced at a few hundred dollars to museum-quality masterpieces priced in the millions.  The show enjoys a stunning mix of both blue chip traditional works and today's outstanding contemporary artists.  Close to 3,000 people attended last year’s show, which saw very strong sales.

This year’s Gala Preview opening night will benefit Friends of the Children-Boston, an organization that creates generational change by engaging children from high-risk communities in 12 years of transformative mentoring relationships.  Friends-Boston’s long-term goal is for the children served to graduate from high school and succeed in college.  The Gala Preview is co-sponsored by Design New England magazine, published by Boston Globe Media.  Design New England will be celebrating its 6th anniversary, and will present this year's "MIDDIES" (Mentors In Design) at the Gala, saluting professionals who share their time, expertise and wisdom with the next generation.

"We are thrilled to be announcing our sixteenth year," notes Tony Fusco.  "As always we will offer our special programs throughout the weekend, encouraging visitors to return to the show and discover renewed interests and new passions.  We will have some very special programming announcements to make this year that will enhance the show’s reputation as a destination for collectors."

The Gala Preview, bolstered by the show’s Honorary Committee, has blossomed in to one of Boston’s premier social and cultural events. In addition to Governor Deval L. Patrick and Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, the Honorary Committee has attracted the participation of numerous museum directors including Brian T. Allen, Director, Addison Gallery of American Art; Katherine French, Director, Danforth Museum; Dennis Kois, Director, DeCordova Museum; Thomas Lentz, Director, Harvard Art Museums; Nancy Netzer, Director, McMullen Museum of Art; Malcolm Rogers, Director, MFA Boston; Matthias Waschek, Worcester Art Museum; and well-known Boston area museum curators Dr. Elliot Bostwick-Davis, David Dearinger, Erica Hirshler, and others.

"We’ve experienced an outpouring of support from the museum community in New England," notes Fusco.  "It has meant a lot in attracting collectors and in making the show a destination for art patrons who also travel here to see the new wing at the Museum of Fine Arts, the new addition at The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and the Institute of Contemporary Art on the waterfront."

Fusco & Four is also bringing back The Ellis Boston Antiques Show for its second year at the Cyclorama (the show had previously been on hiatus since 2008).  Their spring show, AD20/21: Art & Design of the 20th & 21st Centuries, recently celebrated its 5th anniversary.  The Cyclorama provides the ideal venue for all three shows.  A large circular rotunda and adjacent salons encourage visitors to both linger and wander.  The historic structure is located in the heart of the BCA complex, which boasts four theatres, a gallery, the Boston Ballet School and 50 artist studios.  There are more than a dozen "hot" restaurants and nightspots within a five-minute walk, making it a focal point for cultural life in the city.

 “Our shows have grown up with the evolution of the Boston Center for the Arts, the art market in Boston and the changing demographics of the South End, Back Bay, Downtown and other neighborhoods of Boston,” Fusco comments.  “We couldn’t be more pleased to be launching the 16th year of BIFAS."

For information and Exhibitor Registration for all three Boston shows, visit www.BostonArtFairs.com or call 617-363-0405.

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Editor’s Notes:            • Additional background and photos on request

                                    • Interviews may be arranged with participants