FIAC 2015, all photos by Andrea Nguyen for Art Observed

Having established itself as the second leg of Europe’s fall tour of art fairs, following hot on the feels of Frieze London, Paris’s FIAC fair has built itself into one of the art calendar’s more impressive exhibitions, and is now expanding even further, pushing for a place as one of the market’s premier selling events.  Boasting an attendance list of 175 galleries from 23 countries, the 42nd edition of the fair continues Paris’s push for a place in the international fair circuit that matches its century long prominence in the modern and contemporary avant-garde.

FIAC 2015 (more…)

Outside Art Basel, via Art Basel

The doors are set to open at Messeplatz in Basel, Switzerland this week, for the 46th edition of the Art Basel art fair, the massive fair exhibition that has come to define the early summer months in Europe.  Bringing the massively international scope of the world’s elite galleries, this year’s Art Basel promises another strong outing.  (more…)

Art Basel’s Popular large-scale installation section, Unlimited, has released a 74-artist roster for its upcoming edition next month in Switzerland, including work by Martin Creed, Olafur Eliasson, Jeppe Hein, Robert Irwin, and many more.   (more…)

The Armory Show, via The Armory Show

The first week of March signals another year for Armory Week in New York City, as locations around the city prepare for the annual influx of galleries, artists and collectors that mark the first major art fair events in New York City for 2015.  Building on the Armory Show’s increasingly popular public stature, week offers a wide range of events for both collectors and visitors alike. (more…)

The 2015 Edition of the Armory Show has announced its list of exhibitors for its March opening, with 197 galleries attending.  The fair will run from March 5th through the 8th.  The selection process for the upcoming edition was particularly rigorous and I am thrilled to see a number of notable galleries returning to the fair,” says Executive Director Noah Horowitz, “as well as a strong presence of young, geographically diverse galleries who have chosen to show with us for the first time.” (more…)

The inaugural Los Angeles edition of Paris’s FIAC art fair has been pushed back to 2016 in an effort to give galleries more time to prepare for the event.  “FIAC has listened to the recommendations of its participants to modify the launch of its Los Angeles endeavor to provide both organizers and galleries sufficient time for optimal preparation,” the organization said in a statement. (more…)

The Miami Beach Convention Center will undergo a renovation project that will include more than $5 million saved up for art commissions that are to be integrated throughout the site. It is uncertain how the rebuilding will affect Miami Art Basel, as well as other art fairs such as Design Miami. The physically expansive exhibition of Design Miami’s current show “Design At Large” presents more instances of big spaces. “Having a big, dramatic space was a real impetus, because it enables us to show something unexpected,” Design Miami’s executive director Rodman Primack said.

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Jeff Koons, Elephant Sculpture, which sold for $20 million at David Zwirner Gallery

Another year has come and gone for the dizzying spectacle that is Art Basel Miami Beach, which closed its doors last night after 5 hectic days of art sales, exhibitions, special events, parties and appearances.  The following is a summary of the Main Fair with a photoset and newslinks.

Piet Mondrian, Komposition II, with red, 1926, at Helly Nahmad Gallery (more…)

Yoshitomo Nara, Pace Gallery at Art Basel 2013, Courtesy Pace Gallery

Last evening, the conclusion of Art Basel marked the finish line of a 6-week art world marathon, including Frieze New York, the first edition of Art Basel Hong Kong, and finally the Switzerland-based Art Basel, alongside the opening of the Venice Biennale, and record auction sales in New York. While the time period was most certainly overflowing with events and attractions, the so-called “fair-fatigue” did not kick in at Basel, with record numbers of visitors at Art Basel (86,000 in total), and strong sales across the board.  Interestingly, as the number of viewers has grown, the gallery booths have evolved, showing a more focused curatorial approach, often planned months in advance.

Donald Judd, David Zwirner at Art Basel 2013, Courtesy David Zwirner, New York/London (more…)

Paul McCarthy’s 80-ft inflatable balloon dog, which welcomed visitors to the Frieze New York Art Fair last week, has sold for $950,000, dealers at Hauser and Wirth have confirmed. The piece commanded a fair amount of attention just outside Frieze’s main entrance.  The other highly-noted work, Tino Seghal’s Ann Lee, also sold, commanding a price of $80,000. (more…)

Financial Times reports on the growing popularity of performance works at major art fairs, helping the traditionally market-centered proceedings to rebrand themselves as cultural events.  The trend is especially notable at this year’s edition of Frieze New York, where nearly every piece covering the fair has reported on Tino Seghal’s Ann Lee, of particular note because the work is sold via oral contract, in which Seghal explains to the buyer how to re-enact the work.  “I’m an expert and even I get tired after seeing 180 booths. But performance can capture viewers’ attention.”  Says Frieze Projects curator Cecilia Alemani. (more…)

Outside the NADA Art Fair

The NADA Art Fair opened yesterday for its second annual New York event, bringing over 70 galleries and exhibitors to downtown Manhattan’s Basketball City for a diverse exhibition of new works by artists around the globe.

Alex Da Corte at Joe Sheftel (more…)

The Economist is reporting on the Dallas Art Fair, a young art fair looking to do for the Texan metropolis what Art Basel Miami Beach did for Florida’s South Beach.  Growing from a small 37 exhibitor event in its first year, a number of local and international galleries and institutions, including the Dallas Contemporary, are now participating in what is being billed as Dallas Art Week, showcasing the city’s emergence as a major American arts hub.  “It is the opportunity to reach out to the rest of the cities across America and say that you can participate in this appetite we have for art,” says mayor Mike Rawlings. (more…)

The Frieze New York Art Fair has announced the artists exhibiting in this year’s edition of its annual Sculpture Park section.  The 2013 edition of the Sculpture Park will see works by Paul McCarthy, Martha Friedman, and Nick Van Woert, among others.  “Building upon the success of last year, our aim for this new edition is to increase the ambition of the Sculpture Park program both in scope and scale. Placed in an exceptional location, the program will continue expanding visitors’ experience by displaying large outdoor sculptures in dialogue with ephemeral pieces.”  Says curator Tom Eccles. (more…)

Frieze New York on Randall’s Island will once again host a variety of local food vendors at this year’s edition of the fair.  The list of vendors, announced Friday, will include pizza from Roberta’s Pizza, coffee from Blue Bottle Coffee, and a full-service restaurant by Frankie’s Sputino.  The fair runs from May 10th to the 13th. (more…)

The 2013 Edition of Art Dubai opens this week, featuring a number of high-profile works from Yayoi Kusama, Chris Burden, and Wim Delvoye.  Featuring 75 museum groups from over 30 countries, the show has brought $45 Million in art to the Middle Eastern City.  “From the perspective of business, Dubai has centrality no one can deny,” said Arif Naqvi, a Dubai real estate executive. “In the regional cultural perspective, the city is acquiring the same centrality.” (more…)

Initial reports on this year’s TEFAF Maastricht art fair are indicating a high number of museums looking to buy at this year’s edition.  Filled with over $5 billion in art and antiques, the fair is luring a number of museums looking to further bolster their collections.  “Museum board members have realized that this fair is a real opportunity that has to be seized,” Says New York Dealer Richard L. Feigen says. “Or they’ll miss out.” (more…)

2 Works by Mark Flood at Peres Projects, photo by Daniel Creahan for Art Observed

The Independent Art Fair returned to Chelsea this year, taking up three floors of Center548 with work from over 40 galleries around the world, offering a markedly fresh take on the busy sales rush of Armory Week in New York. 

Independent, New York, 2013 (Installation View) Courtesy Independent, New York

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The View from Outside The 2013 Armory Show

The doors opened this morning on the 2013 edition of the Armory Art show, welcoming press and VIP’s into the massive exhibition halls of Piers 92 and 94 on the waterfront of New York City’s Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood.  It was a special year for New York’s biggest annual art event, marking the 100 year anniversary of its namesake, the 1913 exhibition that welcomed the European avant-garde to American shores, and gave many their first glimpses of Marcel Duchamp, Matisse and Edvard Munch, among many others.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg Makes the Opening Remarks at The 2013 Armory Show (more…)

The first Art13 Festival took place this past week in London, showing a high number of Asian and Middle Eastern Galleries and Artists competing for the attention of interested buyers.  With about half of the showing artists of non-western origin, the show provided buyers with opportunities to purchase major works by Eastern Contemporary Art figureheads like the Indonesian painter Nyoman Masriadi, whose work Godlike has already commanded impressive attention and an equally impressive price tag of $350,000.  “Fairs like Frieze and Art Basel tend to be a bit Western- centric,” Jasdeep Sandhu, of Singapore’s Gajah Gallery, said. “This presentation has a more global focus. It’s what the future of the art market might be.” (more…)

Following up on the success of last year’s special series of sound art installations at the Frieze New York Art Fair, the organization has announced the program for 2013’s Sounds Program.  Premiering in the VIP cars and available for listening at stations throughout the fair, the roster of artists includes Trisha Baga, Charles Atlas and New Humans, and Haroon Mirza.  Says curator Cecelia Alemani: “Last year Frieze Sounds captured visitors’ imaginations beyond my expectations. This year I wanted to commission artists who could use both the medium of sound and the journey to Randall’s Island as inspiration to metaphorically transport visitors up the East River.” (more…)

LA Art Show (2013), Installation View

The LA Art show held its opening night premier party on Wednesday, January 23rd at the LA Convention Center. During the Patron Hours, James Franco was the guest of honor and was joined by an eclectic LA crowd, with an incredible mix ranging from the overtly contemporary to the traditionally elegant. Entering its 18th year, the fair has earned a reputation for its well planned juxtaposition of traditional and modern art, and this year’s edition was no different.  The milling crowd moved easily from the traditional to contemporary sections and back, taking their time to comb through the sheer scale of the festival and its one hundred prominent worldwide galleries.

LA Art Show (2013), Installation View

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With the Spanish economy in the throes of stagnancy, the annual ARCOMadrid Art Fair is looking abroad to ensure a productive year.  The fair has compensated 150 VIP guests to attend from the United States, Asia, and elsewhere in order to ensure a strong turnout this February.  “We’re very aware of the difficult moment the Spanish economy is in, so we’re trying to compensate with foreign buyers,” said ARCO director Carlos Urroz. (more…)

Frieze New York has announced its 2013 “Projects”, a selection of seven specially commissioned works that will be brought to life at the fair this May.  The show will feature works by Liz Glynn, Maria Loboda, Mateo Tannatt, Andra Ursuta, Marianne Vitale, a special tribute to the artist-run restaurant Food, and an original text by novelist Ben Marcus.  Says Frieze New York Projects Curator Cecilia Alemani: “For the second edition of Frieze Projects in New York, I asked the commissioned artists to intervene in the fair and its surrounding landscape by staging challenging works that play with everyday habits and collective behaviors. Basic actions such as eating, drinking, speaking and praying serve as the starting point for a series of site- specific installations that engage the ritualistic dimension of the fair and the unique landscape of the island.” (more…)