Almost two weeks ago, I decided to go on an art scouting trip to New York City during what used to be known as Frieze Art Week. Frieze Art Fair served as the major draw accompanied by maybe one or two satellite fairs. It has now evolved into New York Art Week, with multiple major fairs such as Frieze NY, TEFAF NY, and Art New York leading the scene with a slew of smaller, satellite fairs popping up all over New York. There was so much to do and see during this week that it was a bit overwhelming, and it was an art in itself arranging an itinerary that accommodated as much of the fairs offerings with meetings and artist studio visits thrown in.
After quickly dropping off luggage at the Park South Hotel, I made the trek to Frieze Art Fair located on Randall’s Island. As I rode the ferry from the East 35th Street Dock on the East River, I remembered attending the inaugural fair seven years ago…art world players from around the world were piled into old school buses with the shuttle point starting in Harlem. There was an air of absolute excitement and of not really knowing what to expect; we were all eager to see the first U.S. iteration of Frieze. Talk centered around the location, as the island used to house the mentally insane, as well as the much talked about white tent. Coming back to present day as the ferry reached the island, I noticed that the once singular white tent, had quadrupled in size expanding to encompass almost the entire stretch of the island! Thinking to start off with an easily digestible fair, I was surprised at how much the fair has grown. Upon entering the fair, I was immediately riveted by Nick Cave’s Tondo, his newest body of work. Everywhere I turned there was some great piece, installation, or a gallery that did an outstanding job curating their booth. Just some highlights: a unique Murakami installation where nothing was for sale, but showcased the way in which the dolls were made through the ages; a Hockney exhibition; and, some great installation pieces. All the while thinking, “I wish I had allocated more time to see this fair!” I had to drag myself away in order to make it back to Manhattan with enough time to see the TEFAF NY Spring edition at the Park Avenue Armory.
The view of the Frieze Art Fair tents from the ferry.
Nick Cave, Tondo, mixed media including metal, wire, bugle beads, sequined fabric and wood, approximately 6ft. in diameter, Jack Shainman Gallery.
Takashi Murakami installation, Gagosian Gallery.
David Hockney Exhibition, Pace Gallery.
Robert Therrien, No Title (folding table and chairs, green), Gagosian Gallery.
TEFAF NY is the U.S. transplant of TEFAF Maastricht. As you walk through the fair you are consistently reminded of the Netherlands with the gorgeous flower installations peppered throughout the fair. TEFAF NY has a fall and spring edition. The spring edition is focused more on modern and contemporary art whereas the fall has a more decorative art focus. What I love about TEFAF is that it affords fairgoers the opportunity to be in the presence of true masterpieces from artists that you would recognize from your art history books. This year, it was a beautiful, little Delacroix that made me do a double-take as I walked by. I would say the fair consisted mostly of secondary market work; however, I absolutely fell in love with one of John Currin’s newest pieces exhibited by Gagosian entitled The Secretary. Another highlight was an Yves Klein body painting, which I hadn’t seen exhibited in a while. I would highly recommend to anyone to check out one of the TEFAF fairs to see some great works that have been hidden away in private collections until resurfacing at the fair.
Flower Installation, TEFAF NY.
Eugene Delacroix (French, 1798-1863), Juive de Tanger en costume d’apparat, painted in 1835, Oil on Canvas.
John Currin, Secretary, 2018, Oil on Canvas.
Yves Klein (1928-1962), ANT 55, 1960, Pure pigment and synthetic resin on paper laid on canvas.
After a full day of fairs, Saturday, May 5 was spent visiting artist studios. I absolutely love visiting an artist studio because it is like getting a peek behind the curtain into the artist’s technical and thought process. It is also really interesting to see how the artist works; the tools, whether everything is organized, or just absolute chaos. First stop was the Brooklyn studio of artist, Jean-Pierre Roy. He has a very large studio with an office, work space, and even a boot camp set-up of work out equipment and an archery and throwing ax target. His wife, Amy, who owns Luckybird Bakery made freshly baked chocolate chip cookies for the occasion. We started out in his office where he talked through the history and evolution of his work. He has a binder of drawings that he had made when he was a kid and teenager, and let me say the kid had some major talent! Also, in his office is a series of miniature portraits that he makes of himself in different styles and techniques in order to constantly keep practicing his craft. He will give himself one day to complete these miniatures and the technique could range from Caravaggio’s chiaroscuro to Andy Warhol’s pop, he also plays with different types of inks and paints and cool and warm palettes. This wall is an art piece in itself. We then walked over to the main studio/work space, where Roy discussed the inspiration behind his current work and different projects that he is working on. Who knew Roy was practically an expert in astrophysics and cosmology?! Suffice to say it was a fascinating discussion. Towards the end of the visit, I couldn’t resist having Roy give me my first archery lesson. I am officially hooked!
Looking at the wall of miniature portraits that artist, Jean-Pierre Roy painted of himself.
Detail of wall of miniature portraits.
View of Jean-Pierre Roy’s studio.
Jean-Pierre’s workout area in studio.
Jean-Pierre Roy and I.
Next stop was Erik den Breejen’s studio, which was practically across the hall from Roy’s studio. Den Breejen’s technique completely differs from that of Roy’s. We spoke about his painting evolution and current projects. His text-based work are made up of poems and lyrics, but I was excited to find out the Den Breejen is quite the poet himself. It is fascinating to see the breakdown of his artistic process and the amount of work and layers that goes into each one of his pieces. What is unique about his work is that he paints the outline of the text and not the actual letters themselves, and then creates beautiful portraits and compositions. I loved the idea of subliminal messaging. After getting some great food recommendations that I will have to check out on another trip to NYC, I headed back to Manhattan to quickly check out Art New York before fitting in one last studio visit.
Erik den Breejen and I discussing his work in his studio.
Erik showing me the process behind creating one of his large compositions.
Art New York is part of the Art Miami umbrella. Art Miami has created a series of sister fairs that pop up throughout the year. After going to Art Miami and CONTEXT Miami this past December 2017, I wasn’t surprised by any of the offerings at Art New York. The fair is pretty much consistent with its flagship fair in Miami, which on the positive side is helpful when scouting specific works for clients, but when you are looking for something standout or unique really does not have something new to offer that’s different from its sister fairs. A highlight of visiting the fair was catching up with dealer friends and meeting some of the artists that are regularly shown.
Artist, Daniele Sigalot and I taking a self-portrait in front of his work, A Portrait of You in New York City.
Last stop of the day, was James Weber’s new studio. I remember meeting him at Art Palm Beach about 5 years ago, and doing a double take when I saw his camera, which is from 1875! I am a huge fan of using old mediums to create contemporary subject matter and Weber’s photographs create these amazing alternate realities through his chemical development process and technique in using these old cameras and lenses. (His oldest lens is from 1855!) The sitter of a portrait becomes this ethereal, historical figure; a landscape takes on the dream-like quality of a fantasy world. The best part of the visit was walking away with one of his encaustic photographic prints entitled The Wood Nymph.
James Weber’s camera from 1875.
James and I with one of his surreal portraits.
James Weber, The Wood Nymph, encaustic photographic print.
On my last day in the city, Sunday, May 6, I met with one of my former graduate school classmates, and now Contemporary Art Specialist at Sotheby’s auction house. She gave me a tour of the works being offered in their May sales (Modern and Impressionist Art as well as Contemporary Art). It is always fantastic to see these works in person. It makes watching the sales even more interesting and exciting! After rushing out of the auction house with luggage in tow, I barely made my flight back home. This was an AMAZING scouting trip, and there are so many things I wish I had time to see: the Rockefeller collection, Superfine! NYC, Moniker Art Fair, 1-54 Contemporary African American Art fair, not to mention some really cool museum and gallery exhibitions…c’est la vie!
To see more photos and videos from the trip, check out our Instagram @akartconsulting.
Meghan McDonald and I checking out a Cecily Brown work up for auction in their Contemporary Art Sale.
Flying off into the sunset. Until next time NYC!
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