Exploring the highlights at the TEFAF New York 2022 edition

Tis' the season of art fairs! Since Christmas is not around the corner anytime soon, we are indulging in the art that makes us feel merry. And by the looks of it, the European Fine Art Fair's New York 2022 edition has done a fine job! Packing some immersive and riveting works from prominent artists, TEFAF New York offered art aficionados, collectors, design experts, and museum curators the opportunity to experience curated spaces within the Armory's intriguing historical rooms, as well as the towering 55,000 square foot Wade Thompson Drill Hall.

TEFAF is a non-profit foundation that promotes competence and diversity in the worldwide art community, as exemplified by the exhibitors chosen for its two yearly shows in Maastricht and New York. The 2022 line-up includes 78 returning dealers and 13 first time exhibitors. Furthermore, the exhibitors come from 14 different nations, resulting in an astonishing mosaic of creativity and beauty from around the world.

Here we look at the works that stood out the most at its 2022 edition in New York.

Sean Kelly displayed a new painting by Kehinde Wiley. In his depictions of black and brown men and women from around the world, the visual artist uses the signs and visual rhetoric of the heroic, powerful, majestic, and sublime. The artwork, which depicts Jorge Gitoo Wright in a knight's armour outfit, was created specifically for the fair by Wiley in the classic European style of portraiture.

Another work was displayed by Galerie Karsten Greve AG, a fabric and stainless steel sculpture by Louise Bourgeois. The artist used a variety of applied techniques in her experimental practice. Bourgeois is a major figure in modern and contemporary art. Her large-scale installations and sculptures are most recognised for being influenced by her recollections and experiences.

Also on show was a black-and-white lithograph on green card painted over by Edvard Munch with brilliant red and blue watercolour. Presented by David Tunick, it’s a unique and highly important work by Munch, called Madonna (1985). Munch is a Norwegian painter and printmaker whose profoundly vivid presentation of psychological subjects expanded on some of the key concepts of late 19^th century symbolism and impacted German Expressionism in the early 20^th century.

Van De Weghe presented a painting by Roy Lichtenstein. The work - at once haunting and whimsical - depicts a stack of detritus, starkly outlined in black and white, in a barren though the brightly coloured landscape. Another not to be missed, David Zwirner presented a painting by contemporary artist Josef Albers, one of the most influential abstract painters of the 20^th century. Galerie Chenel showcased a marble work from the first century AD, Aphrodite, the so-called Venus Genitrix. The art sculpture was previously in the Pamphilij collection, in the gardens of Villa Pamphilij, Rome. The fair has received widespread acclaim for bringing new ways of viewing, thinking about, and experiencing art.

TEFAF New York presented an in-person fair for the first time since 2019–and it was remarkable as ever. This year, 91 prestigious exhibition galleries from across the world took part, showcasing contemporary and modern art, jewellery, antiquities, and design. The fair also included eye-catching works from R & Company, exhibiting a work by Wendell Castle. Known as one of the fathers of the American studio furniture movement, Castle's innovative approach to creation introduced new modes of perceiving, conceptualising, and producing furniture. Additionally, Galerie de la Béraudière presented a work by Czech painter and graphic artist František Kupka, known for his complex abstractions of simple motion. Didier BV showcased a necklace by Claude LaLanne, a French designer and sculptor known widely for her collaborative work with her husband, François-Xavier Lalanne.

Hostler Burrows introduced a cabinet by Axel Einar Hjorth, a significant Swedish furniture designer known for his innovative style that combined modern ideals with provincial influences. Ocean Park#23 by David Tunick featured dissecting planes of aqua, ochre, and viridian. The 1969 canvas, structured yet lyrical, is representative of the type of work American painter Diebenkorn was producing in Santa Monica at the time. Yves Klein's work was presented by Applicat-Prazan. The artist is well-known for his experiments with pure colour, particularly blue. Lucio Fontana, an Argentine-Italian painter, sculptor, and theorist, was represented by Tornabuoni.

Other works we found highly immersive were Sheet steel, aluminium sheet "diamond point" motif, and wood handles. Patrick Seguin presented a work by Jean Prouvé with Charlotte Perriand. The two-piece design features mixed materials including steel and wood. The Helly Nahmad gallery presented a work by Francis Bacon. Bacon worked on his pope paintings, variations on Diego Velàzquez's magnificent portrait of Pope Innocent X, for more than 20 years.

TEFAF New York showcased some of the most immersive Renaissance art, including paintings, sculptures, and furnishings. The New York event concluded on May 10 at the Park Avenue Hotel, and the art industry is now preparing for TEFAF Maastricht in June 2022.