NEW YORK, NY.- The Art Show, organized by the Art Dealers Association of America (ADAA), returned for its 35th annual edition this past week at the Park Avenue Armory. The fair ran from November 1-5, bringing together the city’s top collectors, curators, museum directors, advisors, artists, and writers. On November 1, the Benefit Preview united the worlds of art and philanthropy to support Henry Street Settlement—the social services and arts organization that has aided New Yorkers in need for 130 years—during a glamorous first look at the fair. Proceeds from the Benefit Preview and admissions from the run of show garnered over $1.1 million for the Settlement—a number that is due to increase substantially after the forthcoming sale at the Sotheby’s Contemporary Day Auction on November 14, 2023, of an intimate drawing by Henri Matisse, generously donated by The Pierre and Tana Matisse Foundation. For the 12th consecutive year in 15 years of partnership, AXA XL, a division of AXA, returned as the Lead Insurance Partner of The Art Show, providing specialist fine art and collectibles risk-management solutions.
“This 35th edition of the fair was a true celebration of the ADAA mission and the powerful work of its member galleries. The Art Show’s enthusiastic public reception, from those generously supporting the Benefit Preview to the collectors, artists, and curators gathering at our sold-out events, demonstrates the impact and reach of the fair, and the critical support it brings to longtime partner Henry Street Settlement. Our ADAA member galleries transcended all expectations in their critically acclaimed presentations of under-recognized talents, historic pinnacles, and contemporary greats alike—highlighting the value of the peer-review process that distinguishes The Art Show and makes it an eagerly awaited event every year,” says ADAA Executive Director, Maureen Bray.
Programming:
Highlights of the week included 78 exhibitors and 57 solo presentations and a special presentation with artist Kate Capshaw, jointly organized by ADAA and the Settlement. One of Capshaw’s new portraits— depicting a Settlement staff member who, after 26 years of incarceration, is now an inspiring mentor and youth leader— greeted visitors at the entryway of the fair at the Park Avenue Armory. A second new portrait pictures three brothers who have greatly benefited from the Settlement’s programs. Both works are included in an exhibition at the Settlement’s Dale Jones Burch Neighborhood Center on the Lower East Side. Bringing to the forefront both the organization’s charitable work and the philanthropic nature of The Art Show, this presentation was further enlivened by a discussion on Saturday, November 4, moderated by Maureen Bray, in which David Garza, president & CEO of Henry Street Settlement, and Capshaw discussed these new works and the importance of the Settlement’s work to support New Yorkers in need with education, employment, shelter, and arts programs.
Additional special programs took place on each day of the fair, including a conversation between gallerist-turned-painter Joel Mesler and Rabbi Korn, moderated by art advisor Benjamin Godsill, about Mesler’s series of rabbinical portraits; a discussion between collector Komal Shah and curator Cecilia Alemani, moderated by Julia Halperin, about how they each strive through varied means to champion women artists; a talk between art historian Midori Yamamura and Michelle Yun Mapplethorpe, Executive Director of the Katonah Museum of Art on how Asian artists made alliances and created networks of exchange in order to come to the United States and make sustainable studio practices in New York in the 1960s, moderated by Lisa Kim of the Ford Foundation and coinciding with Tina Kim Gallery’s historical presentation of Minoru Niizuma and Kim Tschang-Yeul; and “Meet the Artists,” which provided visitors to the fair with the opportunity to meet and mingle with exhibiting artists as well as experts who shed light on some of the fair’s historical presentations.
Best in Show Awards:
For the fourth year, The Art Show Committee, composed of ADAA members, selected “Best in Show” designees in recognition of those members whose presentations epitomized the connoisseurship and industry leadership of the ADAA membership. The 2023 winners are: Pace Gallery, “Best in Show Booth” for its solo presentation of work by Kiki Smith, and Sikkema Jenkins & Co., “Best in Show Object” for Ondine (2022-23) by Sheila Hicks.
Sustainability Roadmap:
In 2022, The Art Show asked a pilot group of exhibitors to track their climate impact resulting from participation in the fair, using the Climate Impact Report (CIR) model developed by Artists Commit. These CIRs were tailored by LHL Consulting specifically for exhibitors’ participation in The Art Show. In addition to promoting a practice of self-assessment and building climate-fluency, CIRs submitted for The Art Show will help design more environmentally responsible future fairs. For the 2023 fair, all exhibitors were invited to participate in the CIR process; over 50 exhibitors volunteered to participate and to provide data to track climate impact.
