In October, Art Basel launched its inaugural fair in Paris. It's called Paris+ par Art Basel. The fair was held in the temporary venue, Grand Palais Éphémère, in place of FIAC, the French contemporary art fair, that used to take place in this time slot. Over 1/3 of the participating 156 galleries are based in France per the agreement between Grand Palais Management Company and Murdoch's MCH Group, the owner of Art Basel. I had a chance to meet two European galleries - Zeno X from Antwerp and Applicat-Prazan from Paris. Nina Hendrickx of Zeno X Gallery introduced a group of Belgian contemporary artists presented at their stand. Franck Prazan of Applicat-Prazan talked about their solo exhibition of Georges Mathieu. And finally, I visited the outdoor sector of the fair, called The Sites, which showcased large-scale works on Place Vendôme and Jardin des Tuileries. Paris, France October 20-22, 2022
Tag: contemporary art
Frieze London 2022
This October, the art crowds are back in London for three art fairs in one - Frieze London, Frieze Masters and Frieze Sculpture. Frieze London is the contemporary art fair. Among my highlights are: Anthea Hamilton's Giant Pumpkins, Jeffrey Gibson's solo presentation, Laure Prouvost's multi-disciplinary project, and Estonian kinetic and sound artist Kaarel Kurismaa at Temnikova & Kasela Gallery. Frieze Masters as always showcases museum-quality pieces spanning from antiquity to the 20th century. Frieze Sculpture is a free exhibition set out in the Regent's Park's English Gardens and comprises 19 large-scale works by a diverse group of artists of different generations and backgrounds. London, UK October 12, 2022
TEFAF New York 2022 | Part II
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."
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.
Greaves Productions 