Big Apple Art Fairs

It has taken me a minute to get around to writing about this as it was A LOT of art to see in 72 hours! And I am not great at keeping up with these updates!

I started with a brief outing to the American Folk Art Museum. I can’t recommend this museum enough. It is a little jewel of a museum up on Lincoln Square. They have a fantastic permanent collection of folk art, art by self taught artists, and craft and handiwork. Entry is always free, and the shows rotate, so check before you go as to what is up. I caught the quilt show, and it ranged from Amish quilts to Soldiers quilts from the Crimean Wars, to contemporary “quilts” of stitched objects and papers. This museum’s viewing rooms are so small, you can easily go through the show in under 30 minutes. Perfect bite-sized American art museum.

In other museum news, a friend recommended we check out Friday Nights at the Whitney. WOW. After 7pm on Fridays, you pay as you wish and can enjoy cocktails on the terrace at the Studio Bar and breathtaking sunset views of the city. Additionally, of course, after your cocktail, you can view the collection. Architecturally, it is just a fantastic building as well, and the light is lovely in the galleries.

As far as the Art Fairs go, my all time favorite is Art on Paper. We went right when it opened, so it was not crowded yet which is the way to do it. I saw so many works that I have seen online and was blown away by seeing them in person. Even though I look at art every day online and know how to interpret the media and scale, it always amazes me how much more powerful pieces can be in person. This show has some very accessible pieces in it in general - price points can be reasonable and most galleries have a lot of pieces you can flip though in addition to what is hung. A+. 5 stars. Best art fair in my opinion.

The Armory Show is a must see. Anything in the Javits Center is going to overwhelm me due to the scale of the place, so just be prepared. My crew got turned around and lost from each other more than once as it seems endless. I love the number of international galleries represented at the fair. I heard at least 10 different languages just walking through the crowds. This is a serious collectors paradise. I overheard folks joking about whether to buy one or two of the $20K framed oil on papers - they bought both after a little cajoling by the gallery staff. It’s wild! But I saw so many museum quality pieces in this informal setting which is so fun. It’s an ENORMOUS show, and has a huge range of works and artists, and for that reason alone is really something that should not be missed annually.

The most fabulous art crew from Atlanta is already making plans to return next year to recharge and enjoy what’s new in 2024. I highly recommend heading to NYC next Fall for the artwork, and it’s just a lovely time in the city. Come find me there!

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Summer 2023