New York City’s roster of spring art fairs unofficially kicked off last week with the unveiling of Frieze Sculpture, a public art initiative that sees 20 contemporary works strewn about Rockefeller Center in anticipation of Frieze New York. It signals the hotly anticipated time of year when an international caliber of collectors and enthusiasts descends on New York to experience and assess the major works headed to auction houses later in the month. One of this season’s can’t-miss fairs, TEFAF New York, brings together a high-octane lineup of postwar and contemporary art and design under one roof—the historic Park Avenue Armory. Featuring 92 exhibitors, including 12 new participants, the fair’s third edition gives discerning attendees the chance to view and purchase across categories, eras, and genres.
One of this year’s most palpable trends sees a handful of galleries explore the oeuvre of a singular creative visionary. Perhaps the most breathtaking example can be seen at Galerie Gmurzynska, which presents Natalia Goncharova’s large-scale Le Coq d’Or—a tribute to the world-renowned Parisian performance company Ballets Russes, helmed by impresario Sergei Diaghilev. The presentation precedes Goncharova’s major retrospective slated to open at London’s Tate Museum in June. Meanwhile, Pace Gallery celebrates its inaugural TEFAF showcase through a series of paintings, paper works, and sculptures by 20th-century master Jean Dubuffet, whom the gallery has represented since 1966. David Zwirner spotlights pioneering modernist Paul Klee, which kicks off the gallery’s nascent partnership with his family. Friedman Benda presents “Wendell Castle: A New Vocabulary,” the late American furniture designer‘s first posthumous exhibition, which toasts his illustrious six-decade career with seminal works rarely seen outside of museums. Additionally, Lehmann Maupin will adorn one of the Armory’s historic rooms with a series of recent Hernan Bas paintings.
With 92 exhibitors total, this is only a taste of what to expect. Below are works we anticipate will have an impact.
