Changes big and small settle Tefaf into its New York niche

If turbulence has taught the market something over the previous decade, it’s the worth of constants. And but, even probably the most tradition-oriented artwork festivals must preserve issues recent. Now in its tenth version, The European High-quality Artwork Basis’s (Tefaf) New York honest (till 14 Might) has undergone a gradual evolution on its method to establishing itself because the esteemed US cousin of its older counterpart in Maastricht, whereas on the similar time differentiating itself as a model by itself phrases.

“Tefaf and the town of Maastricht have lengthy held a magical place within the hearts of the intrepid collectors who make the journey,” says Will Korner, Tefaf’s head of festivals. “It’s an expertise like no different. We imagine the formulation continues to work.”

Shopper base growth

This yr, guests to Tefaf New York can count on to see prime works from ladies artists, in addition to lower-priced artwork in a brand new part that has youthful patrons in thoughts. Off the again of the profitable Rising Collectors Program debuted at Tefaf Maastricht in March, the organiser of the New York version will replicate that effort in an try and increase the occasion’s shopper base and develop new audiences.

The particular sector, which is by invitation solely, will provide artistic endeavors priced as much as $50,000. A visitor curator has tailor-made the programme with an academic bent supposed to “appeal to and have interaction rising collectors, guiding them in direction of connoisseurship”, in accordance with a good spokesperson.

“By way of the age of collectors attending the New York Metropolis honest, it’s in all probability youthful than our European version, with its place inside the metropolis’s broader programme and due to the best way that wealth is unfold right here,” Korner tells The Artwork Newspaper. “We’re creating new partnerships and cross-promoting festivals to collectors on each side of the Atlantic, so the movement between festivals goes each methods.” The New York occasion can be starting to get an inflow of collectors from US museums and patron teams, he provides.

Studies on final yr’s New York honest attributed a rise of works by ladies to this increasing unfold of museum contacts and pursuits. Though information to assist such claims just isn’t but accessible or systematically collected (Korner says Tefaf “could accomplish that sooner or later”), this yr’s line-up does characteristic quite a lot of works by top-tier feminine artists. The highlights embrace a stand devoted to the work of Joan Snyder from Thaddaeus Ropac; High Secret 3 (2012) by Jenny Holzer, on provide at Sprüth Magers; and Abito Silver II (2021) by Naples-born Isabella Ducrot at Galerie Gisela Capitain. First-time participant Salon 94 will carry a number of works by Rebecca Salsbury James, a number of of them priced between $275,000 and $375,000 every.

Jewel-box status

Though Tefaf’s US version, based in 2016, shares a waft of status and scholarship with its European heavyweight counterpart in Maastricht (held yearly since 1988), the previous does so on a markedly smaller scale. Round 90 exhibitors will participate this yr, in contrast with 270 in the newest iteration within the Netherlands.

Tefaf initially premised its New York growth on presenting a broader swathe of artwork historical past throughout two seasons, with one honest in autumn in addition to one in spring. However the occasion’s organisers recognised the demand for a extra tightly targeted honest with an emphasis on Trendy and modern artwork (and fewer on jewelry, antiques and design) staged simply as soon as yearly. Tefaf introduced in April 2021 that it might retire the extra classically minded October honest, whose 2020 iteration had been postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The shift to Tefaf New York’s present once-yearly kind has been welcomed by many exhibitors. “Although we additionally participated within the fall version again when it was operating, it has at all times been the modern honest in spring the place we make our greatest shoppers,” says Charis Tyndall, the director of London’s Charles Ede gallery, which is bringing a gilt wooden and bronze Egyptian cult statuette of Isis (round 332-30BC) priced at $45,000.

Tefaf’s location on the historic Park Avenue Armory has helped the model nestle right into a packed Might diary alongside Frieze New York, Impartial and a slew of different festivals, in addition to Christie’s, Sotheby’s and Phillips’s headline gross sales of Trendy and modern artwork of their US headquarters.

“The honest’s place within the calendar is extra than simply discovering a slot for the occasion. With the Outdated Grasp gross sales in January, adopted by Tefaf Maastricht in March, having an occasion targeted on Trendy and modern in Might is a pure development as we then transfer into summer time and smaller festivals throughout Europe,” says Helen Document of the gallery Robilant + Voena, which can provide a collection of ceramics by Lucio Fontana priced between €200,000 and €800,000, together with La Novia (the bride) (1940). The gallery’s stand may also characteristic work by Alexander Calder and Sam Francis to show “the vital dialogue between Europe and the USA within the Twentieth century”, she provides.

Curatorial statements

Using the Armory’s 16 interval rooms, that are typically closed to the general public the remainder of the yr, has more and more develop into recognised as a chance to make a curatorial assertion. This yr, plans for the areas embrace a gaggle show by Galeria Nara Roesler (together with works by Gego, Sheila Hicks, Tomie Ohtake and Heinz Mack, amongst others), an array of Twentieth-century Nordic design objects from the gallery Modernity Stockholm and a consideration of the American Studio Craft Motion and Mid-Century Brazilian design by R & Firm.

Displays of works throughout a number of eras, genres and areas additionally seem like thriving, regardless of the improved focus on Trendy and modern artwork.

“The dialog between works from totally different durations and stunning juxtapositions just isn’t typically discovered at different worldwide festivals, which explains the honest has grown every year and drawn such an unbelievable listing of exhibitors,” says David Leiber, a companion at David Zwirner. “The Armory has by no means appeared higher.” The gallery will likely be providing a twin presentation of works by Giorgio Morandi and George Ohr on the 2024 version of Tefaf New York.

Classes realized

Regardless of the various modifications, there stays a transparent respect for the educational facet of the honest, underpinned by its stringent vetting. “Tefaf is a chance for collectors in New York and past to expertise a calibre that had been lacking from the New York honest panorama,” says Emmanuel Di Donna, the founding father of Di Donna Galleries. “It each prompts the uptown accumulating neighborhood and attracts a discerning viewers uptown, so it is a superb gateway to Higher East Facet galleries similar to ours.”

Di Donna additionally highlights the usage of the honest by New York-based galleries as a platform to create dialogue with their reveals within the metropolis. He describes his Tefaf presentation this Might as a “pendant to the scholarly exhibitions that we’ve got on view a couple of blocks away at our Madison Avenue gallery”. He plans to carry a gaggle of Trendy works “with a shared curiosity within the pure world and the cosmos” to his Tefaf stand this Might, together with examples by Paul Klee, Alexander Calder and Yves Tanguy ranging in value from $700,000 to $2.5m.

Market worries

The New York honest is opening in a interval of widespread geopolitical crises and speak of a downturn within the artwork market total. Current information, together with within the 2024 Artwork Basel and UBS Artwork Market Report, has signalled that even collectors’ conventional “flight to high quality” response in occasions of socioeconomic instability has been wavering—a prospect that would increase alarms for a good like Tefaf, which defines itself by the prime quality of its choices.

However amid these challenges, Korner stays assured: “The success of our Maastricht version this yr, regardless of the whole lot, confirms my private perception that our space of the market, as a result of it’s area of interest and reliant on a strong base of collectors, just isn’t as a lot impacted by wider uncertainty. Not a single gallery has raised any issues upfront of our opening.”