I paid a go to to the Park Avenue Armory yesterday night for the thirty sixth version of the Artwork Present, the Artwork Sellers Affiliation of America’s (ADAA) annual honest benefitting the Henry Avenue Settlement — certainly one of New York Metropolis’s important assets for the Decrease East Facet. By means of this Sunday, November 2, 75 ADAA member galleries are taking on the first-floor showroom, with a majority devoting their cubicles to solo artist shows.
It was my first time attending the Artwork Present, and I used to be grateful in hindsight for skipping the elbow-to-elbow foot site visitors and fizzy champagne flutes of opening evening in favor of a extra docile 4pm crowd the next day. Although dozens of “I voted early” stickers have been proudly sported all through the expo, the calm vibes have been a much-needed reprieve from the election frenzy.
The material-lined partitions and ethereal aisles allowed me to navigate the honest with an open thoughts and an excellent clearer head. That plentiful house in between led me to what stood out most — small-scale hyperrealism. And I used to be spoiled for selection!
It appears I wasn’t alone in assigning these classes, both, as I discovered whereas chatting with Todd Hosfelt, whose namesake gallery is displaying a number of the aforementioned bite-sized realism within the type of a collection of latest oil work by Tim Hawkinson. Hosfelt and I lamented the paucity of dimensional artwork and images, and he gave me a understanding look after I requested him in regards to the dominance of tiny artworks and photorealism.
Hosfelt attributed its reputation this yr to a collective “want for intimacy,” noting that Hawkinson’s work are derived from tenderly to unflatteringly mundane images he, his spouse, and his daughter took on their telephones. I used to be drawn to them like a moth to a lamp for his or her candidness — one work depicts Hawkinson ingesting from a water fountain at a museum from the angle of the spout, whereas one other embodies an off-kilter shot of his father sleeping within the window seat of an airplane.
Hosfelt mentioned the work are “so actual that they’re surreal,” emphasizing an uncanniness that Hawkinson attains via fantastic particulars and strange views.
Nancy Hoffman Gallery additionally provided an identical eye salve of small-scale realism, however this time within the type of index card-sized serene oil nonetheless lives by Lucy Mackenzie, who spends as much as six months on every work in an act of devotion. C’naan Hamburger’s hyper-detailed however considerably non-descript egg-tempera odes to New York Metropolis life additionally captured plenty of consideration at Charles Moffett Gallery, which made its debut on the Artwork Present this yr.
Each Hoffman and Vilma Clausen, gallery affiliate for Charles Moffett Gallery, attested that individuals have been captivated by scale and realism this yr. Clausen famous that Hamburger’s work bought out by the tip of the second day, and Hoffman shared that “whereas issues have been totally different for the gallery due to the election, gross sales on the Artwork Present have been going rather well thus far.”
Ages in the past, miniatures artist Margie Criner, whose work was included within the 2023 exhibition Small Is Stunning at 718 Broadway, advised me that “we will’t actually management very a lot in our lengthy lives, but when I can management 4 sq. inches for a day, I one way or the other really feel a bit of higher.”
It looks as if now greater than ever, that want for management is each a draw for artists and viewers alike. To have one thing to fuss over, mildew, and are available collectively in an period of world tumult far out of our palms is as relieving as with the ability to get misplaced within the fastidious mark-making that builds a complete world inside 4 corners.
Alternatively, a grandiose character can’t all the time be contained by tight dimensions. Over on the George Adams Gallery sales space, I bought to attach with M. Louise “Lulu” Stanley, whose monumental work have been displayed alongside Elisa D’Arrigo’s glazed ceramics.
Stanley’s gargantuan acrylic work have been lively, movement, and humor, rife with symbolism and classical references, and a transparent extension of her prowess as an artist and teacher.
“Throughout final evening’s preview, Lulu turned the sales space right into a classroom — she was main massive teams of visitors via every work and talking to them about it,” mentioned Gallery Director Charlotte Kahn. “It’s nice to help these exceptionally gifted, sensible ladies who’ve been under-appreciated.”
Stanley did simply that after I naturally commented on the looks of a canine in her portray “Jupiter and Io” (2008), strolling me via her painterly selections, thought processes, and different easter eggs all through the composition.
Geometric abstraction, botanical artwork, and figuration- and portraiture-heavy historic supplies have been abundantly current all through the honest along with the realism. The Artwork Present has additionally debuted a brand new program known as “Highlight On …” that focuses on ADAA member galleries from a brand new metropolis every year, beginning with Houston, Texas. Simply look out for a star on the gallery labels atop every sales space, because the image denotes Houston individuals.
