I visited the Park Avenue Armory last night for the 36th edition of the Art showthe annual fair of the Art Dealers Association of America (ADAA) to benefit the Henry Street Settlement – one of the vital resources for the Lower East Side. Through Sunday, November 2, 75 ADAA member galleries will take over the first-floor showroom, with a majority dedicating their booths to solo artist presentations.
It was my first time attending the Art Show, and in retrospect I was grateful that I had skipped the elbow-to-elbow foot traffic and bubbling champagne flutes of opening night in favor of a more docile 4 p.m. crowd the next day. Although dozens of “I Voted Early” stickers were proudly displayed at the expo, the calm atmosphere was a much-needed reprieve from the election frenzy.
The fabric-covered walls and airy aisles allowed me to navigate the fair with an open mind and an even clearer head. That abundant space in between led me to what stood out most: small-scale hyperrealism. And I was spoiled for choice!
It seems I wasn’t the only one assigning these categories either, as I learned during a conversation with Todd Hosfelt, whose eponymous gallery exhibits some of the aforementioned bite-sized realism in the form of a series of recent oil paintings by Tim Hawkinson. Hosfelt and I lamented the lack of dimensional art and photography, and he looked at me knowingly when I asked him about the dominance of small works of art and photorealism.
Hosfelt attributed his popularity this year to a collective “desire for intimacy,” noting that Hawkinson’s paintings are derived from tender to unflatteringly mundane photographs that he, his wife and his daughter took on their phones. I was drawn to them like a moth to a lamp because of their candor – one work shows Hawkinson drinking from a water fountain in a museum from the perspective of the spout, while another embodies an off shot of his father standing in the windowsill sleeps from a plane.
Hosfelt said the paintings are “so real they’re surreal,” highlighting the uncanniness Hawkinson achieves through fine details and unusual perspectives.
Nancy Hoffman Gallery also offered a similar eye salve of small-scale realism, but this time in the form of serene index card-sized oil still lifes by Lucy Mackenzie, who out of dedication spends up to six months on each work. C’naan Hamburger’s hyper-detailed but somewhat unremarkable egg tempera odes to life in New York City also attracted considerable attention at the Charles Moffett Gallery, which made its debut at this year’s Art Show.
Both Hoffman and Vilma Clausen, gallery associate at Charles Moffett Gallery, said people were fascinated by scale and realism this year. Clausen noted that Hamburger’s paintings sold out by the end of the second day, and Hoffman shared that “although things have been different for the gallery due to the election, sales at the Art Show are going very well so far.”
Centuries ago, miniature artist Margie Criner, whose work could be seen in the exhibition in 2023 Small is beautiful at 718 Broadway, told me that “we can’t really have much control in our long lives, but if I can control four square inches for a day, somehow I feel a little better.”
Now more than ever, it seems that the desire for control is attracting both artists and viewers. Having something to ponder, mold, and come together in an age of global tumult far beyond our grasp is as enlightening as getting lost in the fussy marking that builds an entire world within four corners.
Alternatively, a grandiose personality cannot always be contained by strict dimensions. At the George Adams Gallery booth, I came into contact with M. Louise “Lulu” Stanley, whose enormous paintings were displayed alongside Elisa D’Arrigo’s glazed ceramics.
Stanley’s gigantic acrylic paintings were full of life, movement and humor, full of symbolism and classical references, and a clear extension of her skills as an artist and instructor.
“At last night’s preview, Lulu turned the booth into a classroom – leading large groups of guests through each work and talking to them about it,” said gallery director Charlotte Kahn. “It’s great to support these exceptionally talented, brilliant women who are undervalued.”
Stanley did just that when I naturally commented on the appearance of a dog in her painting ‘Jupiter and Io’ (2008), guiding me through her painterly decisions, thought processes and other Easter eggs throughout the composition.
Geometric abstraction, botanical art and historical materials with lots of figuration and portraits were amply present at the fair, in addition to realism. The Art Show has also introduced a new program called “Spotlight On…” which focuses on ADAA member galleries from a new city each year, starting with Houston, Texas. Note the star on the gallery labels at the top of each booth, as the symbol identifies Houston participants.
