On the closing day of the TEFAF New York fair, I returned to the Park Avenue Armory to view some galleries upstairs in the period rooms. Michael Beck and Ute Eggeling, the founders of the eponymous gallery from Düsseldorf, talked about the gallery's origin in East Germany and their cooperation with John McEnroe in New York. Michael Beck explained why they are not Basel people, but TEFAF people, and gave me some background on their current presentation "Cómo pretexto Picasso" by Manolo Valdés. Next, I spoke with art historian from Axel Vervoordt, a Belgian gallery. I also was pleasantly surprised by my new discovery - a beautiful gallery from Munich, Galerie Thomas. Silke Thomas, the founder's daughter and art historian, gave me a glimpse into the art scene of the last century, the German Expressionism, Wassily Kandinsky and The Blue Rider, et al. All three galleries weathered the pandemic pretty well, and have had a successful show in New York. And my final note is on Creative Spaces, the initiative at TEFAF designed for displaying select artworks in the areas throughout the show to "increase the visual excitement of the fair environment."
Category: art
TEFAF New York 2022 | Part I
TEFAF is finally back for an in-person event in New York this May. The international art fair opens May 6 in the Park Avenue Armory. 91 galleries from 14 countries are presented in this edition. The invitation-only preview opening night is a benefit for the Memorial Sloan Kettering.
Venezia Biennale 2022
The 59th edition of the Venezia Biennale is finally here. It's headed by Cecilia Alemani. The theme of the show is "The Milk of Dreams." Here are my highlights of the exhibition. For the first time in its 127-year history the majority of the artists are women. The Russian Pavilion is closed this year, while Ukraine occupies a prominent spot. Finally, the U.S. Pavilion is transformed into a West African palace. Chicago-based artist Simone Leigh is the winner of Golden Lion for the Best Participant Award. Due to the limited time, I only saw the Giardini, hopefully, I will re-visit this summer to see the Arsenale part. The exhibition runs till November 27, 2022.
Palm Beach Modern and Contemporary Show 2022
At the opening night of the Palm Beach Modern and Contemporary Show, British photographer Harry Benson was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award. At 92, Benson is full of wit and humor. His career spans over 60 years, from refugee camps in Africa to royals and presidents, but perhaps his most recognizable photographs are of the Beatles. Nowadays, he lives in Florida with his wife Gigi and two dogs. "The first thing I'll do is when I get home I'll show it to my dogs," he said accepting his award. The show collaborated with Holden Luntz Gallery to exhibit some of Benson's most prominent works. Jodi Luntz shared with me the backstory of the iconic photograph "The Pillow Fight" at George V hotel in Paris.
Frieze Los Angeles 2022
After skipping a year due to the pandemic, the third edition of Frieze Los Angeles is back and has a new venue called “The Tent” in Beverly Hills. It’s designed by LA-based architect Kulapat Yantrasast, a darling of the art world. Also, the fair has a new director, Christine Messineo. It’s always nice to see a woman at the helm. One of the highlights of the fair is a participatory installation “Dreamer's Folly” (2010) at Gagosian. It’s designed by the late L.A. artist Chris Burden and consists of three joined cast-iron gazebos covered in lace. A separate exhibition BIPOC EXCHANGE is curated by LA-based artist Tanya Aguiñiga and showcases ten local non-profits.
Greaves Productions 