Fresh Paint 1 / 2008

Fresh Paint 1 took place in Tel Aviv in March 2008. It was the first world-class art fair ever held in Israel. 16 Israeli contemporary art galleries exhibited at the fair alongside the fair's Greenhouse which presented works by 70 selected independent artists. The fair was attended by some 14,000 art enthusiasts.

Alongside exhibitions of art for sale, the fair also featured commissioned works by artists Orly Sever and Efrat Kedem. At the entrance to the fair, a video art by artist Sagit Mezamer was screened and commissioned pieces by street artists were exhibited.

The fair also offered an enrichment program of lectures on the topics of art and art collecting for the general public.

As part of the Fresh Paint 1 program, the Igal Ahouvi Art Collection awarded the Most Promising Artist award to independent artist Shira Zelwer and a number of community projects were held. The Secret Postcard project sold some 900 postcards and the proceeds paid for 160,000 NIS worth of scholarships for underprivileged students through the Tel Aviv Museum of Art's Meyerhoff Art Education Center "Young Artists" program. An additional 100,000 NIS were raised by the "Curator's Choice" program for funding art therapy activities for children in children's homes, and 40,000 NIS were donated to Israeli museums as acquisition funds at the fair.