New American Paintings visits Frieze and NADA

I had the opportunity to take a quick trip down to New York for the art fairs this past weekend. You would think that gallerists and collectors alike would have had their fill with the Armory Show and a number of smaller fairs having just taken place in early March, but there was no evidence of fatigue. Frieze New York was an extraordinarily well run event. The massive tent that the promoters constructed was something of an architectural marvel in and of itself. Inside, more than two hundred galleries were given ample space to mount shows, and best off all, the tent allowed for natural lighting conditions. Dealers brought solid work from artists at a range of career points. I was happy to see several New American Paintings’ alumni in the mix. One of them, Joshua Abelow (NAP #44), had perhaps the most raucous booth at the fair with walls that were literally filled with small paintings. Other highlights for me included the one two punch of Keltie Ferris and Sarah Braman at Mitchell-Innes & Nash; Richard Aldrich’s work at Bortolami; Xylor Jane at Canada; Aaron Curry’s work at Michael Werner; Nathan Hylden at Richard Telles; and Jon Pestoni at David Kordansky. The painting that you “couldn’t get away from” was Mary Heilmann’s diptych at Hauser & Wirth...even at its small scale, it held sway over everything else around it.

Photo Credit: Linda Nylind, Courtesy Artnet.com

Over at NADA New York, several dozen dealers put on a typically edgy NADA affair. Again, there were New American Paintings’ alumni throughout the fair. Favorite painting: Eddie Martinez’s large canvas at Sorry We’re Closed....it was stunning. Other favorites: Mariah Robertson at American Contemporary; Dave Miko at Parisa Kind; Viktoria Binschtok at Klemms; and Hugh Scott Douglas at Clint Roenisch. I used my IPhone to take pics, so please excuse the quality of some images. And please let us know what caught your eye if attended either fair. Steven Zevitas, Publisher See my photos after the jump! FRIEZE: