NEW YORK, NY.- The second edition of TEFAF New York Spring came to a close yesterday, May 8, 2018, at the Park Avenue Armory, following six days of vigorous sales and attendance from international collectors, connoisseurs, museum leaders and the public, from Europe, Asia and the Americas. The Fair presented 90 of the world’s preeminent modern and contemporary art and design dealers, the top names in their respective collecting categories, adding two-dozen new participants to the roster.

For the first time this year, the exhibitors’ museum-quality works were complemented by five monumental installations in the public spaces of the Armory’s historic Drill Hall—including Robert Rauschenberg’s (1925 – 2008) Shuttle Buttle/ROCI USA (Wax Fire Works) (1990) from Edward Tyler Nahem Fine Art (USA; stand 86); Alexander Calder's (1898 – 1976) Les Trois Barres (1970) from the Alexander Calder Foundation, presented by Van de Weghe (USA; stand 8); and Robert Motherwell's (1915 – 1991) painting Arabesque (1989) from Galerie Gmurzynska (USA; stand 18) and monumental and much admired work, entitled Merkaba, by Anselm Kiefer, offered by Beck & Eggeling, (Germany stand 2) — which together fostered a uniquely dynamic and diverse art experience, setting the stage for the Fair.

“We were impressed by the caliber of collectors, museum colleagues, and fellow exhibitors, and were gratified by the reception to our presentation pairing Surrealist masterpieces and Native American masks” said Emmanuel Di Donna, Director, Di Donna Galleries (USA, stand 58). “For the second year, TEFAF set the bar for New York art fairs.”

A consistent refrain among the exhibitors was the high-caliber, well-educated and focused audience, both from New York and the global collecting community. Several immersive themed or single-artist dealer presentations were found among the meticulously curated exhibitor collections.

Following a packed kick-off and preview day on Thursday, May 3, which drew important sales within minutes of opening, TEFAF New York Spring continued to welcome collectors, artists and celebrities from across the globe, including Marc Jacobs, David Hockney, Maurizio Cattelan, Dranh Vo, Brice Marden, John Currin, and Emily Ratajkowski. On Friday, May 4, TEFAF also launched its TEFAF Art Market Report: Art Dealer Finance, the first of its kind and the second in a series of surveys focusing on various art-market topics. Written by Anders Petterson of ArtTactic, the report delves into art dealer finance and can be downloaded via the TEFAF website.

“After visiting last year’s inaugural spring fair, Dominique [Lévy] and I immediately wanted to be part of this exciting platform in New York. Our expectations have been met completely – not only did we have the opportunity to see over 100 of the world’s top collectors on opening day, but we also sold consistently through each day of the fair.” said Brett Gorvy, Founder and Partner, Lévy Gorvy (USA, UK, China; stand 24).“The transformation of the Armory and the scale of the booths at TEFAF inspired us to intentionally curate our presentation, and we brought works that are a reflection of each of our personalities and the gallery program. We look forward to participating for many years to come.”

Christophe Van de Weghe, Van de Weghe Fine Art Ltd. (USA; stand 8), commented: “The best dealers in their fields brought high-quality art and the Fair had a phenomenal turnout. We were pleased by the response to the monumental Calder that hung at the front of the fair”

Raffles Hotels replicated its iconic Singapore “Long Bar” at TEFAF New York Spring, giving visitors to the Fair, a taste of the legendary Singapore Sling through mixology Master Classes and other special events.

Important sales in the last days of the Fair included:

• Acquavella Galleries, Inc. (USA; stand 66) sold Le Geomancien (1952) by French painter and sculptor Jean Dubuffet (1901-1985) oil on board.

• Adrian Sassoon (UK; stand 88) sold several works, including seven by ceramist Kate Malone (b. 1959), among them Large Blackberry (2016) in Crystalline-glazed stoneware, A Pair of Icy Magma Pots (2017), in ceramic, Woven Acorn Jar (2018) in Crystalline-glazed stoneware, and Amethyst Flint Lidded Pot (2017) in Crystalline-glazed stoneware.

• Applicat-Prazan (France; stand 59) sold Untitled (1949) by Jean-Paul Riopelle (1923-2002), oil on canvas, previously in the Chrysler Collection, New York.

• Beck & Eggeling (Germany, stand 2) sold Merkaba (2004) by Anselm Kiefer (b. 1945), oil and mixed media on canvas, to an American Private Collector for a seven-figure sum.

• Carpenter’s Workshop Gallery (UK, France, USA; stand 72) sold DC 1402A (2014) and DC 1715 (2017) by Italian architect and designer Vincenzo De Cotiis (b. 1948), the former cast aluminum and the later Murano glass, silvered cast brass, and Pink Cocoon Concrete Base 4 (2017) by Spanish designer Nacho Carbonell (b. 1980), metal welded branch, concrete base, metal mesh spread paverpol with pigments, led light bulbs.

• Charles Ede (UK; stand 76) sold a Greek female figure (c. 2700 – 2600 BC) and a Hellenistic head of a man (2nd-1st century BC), both marble, the former for approximately $120,000, and the latter for approximately $230,000.

• Dansk Møbelkunst Gallery (Denmark, France; stand 40) sold a floor lamp (1928) designed by Vilhelm Lauritzen (1894 – 1984) in nickel-plated brass; “pagode” sofa (1956) designed by Tove and Edvard Kindt-Larsen (1906 –1994; 1901 – 1982) in teak and wool; an ‘American’ desk lamp (1927) designed by Poul Henningsen (1894 – 1967) in brass and opal glass.

• Demisch Danant (USA; stand 80) sold Bread Head (Self-portrait) (1973) by Cesar (1921 – 1998), mounted on iron rod, concrete, plaster, fiberglass, resin and bread; a Pair of Chaises X, (1975) designed by Maria Pergay (1930), stainless steel, foam, fabric, and Credenza (1960)—a star piece—by Jacques Dumond (1906-1988), cherry wood painted steel base, felt-lined interior.

• Galerie Max Hetzler (Germany; stand 52) sold Untitled (1987) and U.D.O 7 (2001/2005) by German artist Albert Oehlen (b. 1954), Measure for Measure 19 (2017) by Bridget Riley (b. 1931) acrylic on linen, proemio (2017) by Edmund de Waal (b. 1964) 8 porcelain tiles with gilding and 10 alabaster blocks in an aluminium and glass vitrine, Yusra Mardini, Berling January 8, 2017 (2017) taken by Rieneke Dijkstra’s (b. 1959) inkjet print, and Untitled (allumette carrii brulii) (2005) by Raymond Hains’s (1926 – 2005), patinated bronze.

• Lévy Gorvy (USA, UK, China; stand 24) sold Rosedale (1991) by Scottish painter Peter Doig (b. 1959), oil on paper, with an asking price of around $500,000 and Superficie blu no. 30 (1965) by Italian painter Enrico Castellani (1930-2017), Acrylic on canvas, with an asking price of around $550,000.

• Lisson Gallery (USA, UK; stand 62) sold Untitled (Black Ceramic), an early work from 1983 by Mary Corse (b. 1945) two fired clay tiles, with an asking price of $450,000; Untitled Estructura (Red), (1966/2015), by Carmen Herrera (b. 1915), acrylic and aluminum, with an asking price of $450,000; Architectural Rhythm (1970) by Leon Polk Smith (1906 – 1996), paint on canvas, with an asking price of $200,000; and Horizontal Lines (2005) by Sol Lewitt (1928 – 2007) Gouache on paper, with an asking price of $140,000.

• Massimo De Carlo (Italy, UK, Hong Kong; stand 27) sold Transition: DNA: Miami II (2017) by American artist McArthur Binion (b. 1946).

• Matthew Marks Gallery (USA; stand 47) reported strong sales in their inaugural TEFAF presentation, selling White Yellow (1957-58) by Ellsworth Kelly (1923-2015), oil on canvas, in the $2.5 million range, which was on display publicly for the first time in 60 years at TEFAF New York Spring, as well as Apple/Lilacs (2006-2017) by Robert Gober (b. 1954), beeswax, oil paint, hand-printed silkscreen on paper, and a group of multiples by German sculptor Katharina Fritsch (b. 1956), among other works.

• Modernity (Sweden; stand 28) sold a white lacquered metal, cane and fabric floor lamp designed by Pavvo Tynell’s (1890 – 1973), “Septima 5” ceiling lamp by Poul Henningsen (1894 – 1967), made of acid-etched glass shades and nickel-plated brass, and a lacquered metal and cane floor lamp “Maja the bee” by Ilmari Tapiovaara’s (1914 – 1999).

• Patrick Derom Gallery (Belgium; stand 89) sold 3 Trames de grillage 0° - 1/2° - 89° 1/2 (1962) by conceptual artist François Morellet (1926 – 2016), metal grid over wood on metal and Painting in four dimensions; 10 compositions contrepoint (1961) by Israeli artist Yaacov Agam (b. 1928) oil on wood.

• Peter Freeman, Inc. (USA, France; stand 93) sold Things on the Wall (1973) by Roy Lichtenstein (1923 – 1997), oil and magna on canvas, the largest of the artist’s paintings from his “Trompe l’Oeil Series”, for around $6.5 million.

• Tambaran Gallery (USA; stand 17) sold White and Pink Violet (2018) and Red Blossom with Light Violet (2018) by Sung hee Cho (b. 1949), the former on Korean mulberry paper (hanji) and oil on canvas and the latter Korean mulberry paper (hanji) and oil on canvas, as well as a Tlingit dancing headdress frontlet, ca. 1870 – 1890, from the northwest Coast of North America, wood, paint, abalone shell.

Lisson Gallery (UK, USA; stand 62) was pleased to participate for the second year in TEFAF New York Spring. Lisson’s Executive Director Alex Logsdail noted, “The week was filled with robust sales and thoughtful conversations. TEFAF remains a fair where collectors are engaged and the intimate nature allows the gallery to present important works in a unique atmosphere. Following on the incredible reception of our booth last year, we were once again pleased with this week’s success.”

TEFAF New York Spring 2018 was accompanied by a fascinating roster of cultural programs, including the Fair’s signature “Coffee Talks” series and a new series entitled “TEFAF Afternoons”. Programming featured panel discussions with leaders of the Asia Society; Detroit Institute of Art; Metropolitan Museum of Art; Minneapolis Institute of Art; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Parsons School of Design; Philadelphia Museum of Art; Smithsonian Institution, The Drawing Center; Wadsworth Atheneum; and the Whitney Museum of American Art, among other institutions.