Fair, Fair, Fair…. sixteen times, I should say. It’s not a hallucination: no fewer than 16 art fairs between May 6 and 13 turn New York City into a gigantic art gallery, with its hatful of excess and extravaganza, most importantly, a unique and exceptional chance to see thousands of artworks, meet hundreds of artists and debate for hours with friends.

Barber, mani-pedi, a new pair of white sneakers, a perfectly ironed white shirt, a blue jacket and I’m ready to face the week. I also started praying to the God of MTA (NYC public transportation system) to make sure that F won’t run on A line and skip uptown 14 St and 23 St” and all uptown board from the express track at W 4 St, 34 St-Herald Sq, 42 St-Bryant Pk and 47-50 Sts-Rockefeller Ctr, or even more that A uptown local won’t skip Spring St, 23 St and 50 St, because if B has no scheduled service until June 1, it cannot be replaced by A, C, D, Q, because it’s recommended taking J, when Z … … …

Welcome to New York City says the poet.

I have prepared for you an effective route with trains, buses, and of course, walking, the holy trinity to travel in NYC, and enjoy its bright blue sky.

Brooklyn First

Start at the Powerhouse Arts, (F, Carrolls Garden stop) which hosts Conductor, featuring a curated selection of visionary artists representing Brazil, Nigeria, Palestine, Puerto Rico, Australia, Mexico, the South Asian diaspora, and the Thai and Indonesian diasporas. The opportunity to discover (if you haven’t yet) the colossal industrial relic entirely renovated and its ceramic and print shops.

From there, walk along the romantic Gowanus Canal, admire the Brooklyn skyline (no it’s not Midtown Manhattan), love or hate the dark erectile Brooklyn Tower (I love it, it reminds me of the movie I loved when I was a kid, and still love, TheTowering Inferno).

13 minutes later you arrive at The Other Art Fair, a dynamic and eclectic fair from emerging artists. Say hello to artist Zoë Elena Moldenhauer for me! Zoe was intern at The Invisible Dog a long time ago and we love her.

It’s time for lunch!

From there, walk 8 minutes and lunch at Claro, one of my favorite restaurants in the neighborhood. You need food and energy to conquer the city!

Manhattan, an isle of joy

🎶 The city's glamor can never spoil the dreams of a boy and goil
We'll turn Manhattan into an isle of joy 🎶 Ella Fitzgerald sings in your ears. From Claro, walk north on 4th Avenue, look at the iconic architecture of the Barclays Center on your right, and hop in the 4 or 5, direction Manhattan. Only four stops later, including the under river crossing, you exit at the famously named stop, Wall Street.

You have arrived at 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, founded in 2013 by Touria El Glaoui. Named after the 54 countries that make up the African continent, the fair engages with the rich diversity of African artistic expression and foster cross-cultural dialogue, with a selection of galleries from Africa, Europe, and the Americas that spotlight both established and emerging talents. You must stop at Galeria Karla Osorio from Brasília, meet the amazing Karla who is presenting the brilliant artist, Matheus Marques Abu.

Let yourself wander a bit around the Wall Street Historic District, with its “chef d’oeuvres” of architecture, from the Stock Exchange to The Oculus. Walk to Fulton Street stop, hop in A or C, and two stops later, exit at Canal Street, in front of another iconic building from 1930: One Hudson Square designed by architect Ely Jacques Kahn.

Just around the corner, on Varick Street, two fairs, four minutes’ walk from each other. Independent, at the number 50 of the street, 85 galleries (have I counted well?). There, visit our friends from Praise Shadows Art Gallery, give a hug to Yng, who presents artworks from Duke Riley and Jean Shin.

Full of energy and legs for Spring Break Art Show, at 75 Varick, featuring more than 100 curatorial exhibitions, Special Projects and the new section Artist Spotlight. The only fair I know where you are personally greeted in the lobby by their founders, Ambre and Andrew. A rare and so appreciated attention.

From Varick Street, return to the A or E train at Canal Street station, exit at 23 Street, you have arrived at the Mecca of Art in only 17 minutes and $2.90

Chelsea

The French Renaissance writer François Rabelais, known for being a “bon vivant” wrote: thirst goes away by drinking, hunger comes by eating. The art feast is not over, you are at this point about to devour le plat de resistance in Chelsea famously known for its concentration of galleries but also for the infamous piers 70s and 80s, beautifully documented by Jonathan Weinberg in Pier Groups, Art and Sex Along The New York Waterfront.

If you haven’t had lunch in Brooklyn (too bad you missed— it’s a really good place), and before starting the art orgy, (orgy usually makes hungry), take a lunch break at my favorite restaurant in the neighborhood, Peppe Giallo. Why my fav? Simply because I’ve never been to any other place when I gallery tour in Chelsea!

Clio, Frieze, Fridge, Focus, Future Fair and NADA. My innocent hand in the hat, I pick… NADA and Future Fair.

NADA hosts 120 galleries, art spaces, and non-profit organizations spanning 19 countries and 50 cities. Don’t miss an artist I love, Jude Griebel and his sculptures from Falling Sky series, presented by Massey Klein Gallery. Give Jude a big hug if you see him.

At Future Fair, Hashimoto Contemporary is presenting another artist I love (and not only for this talent): Stephen Morrison, with two new flower-dog paintings.

Time to say goodbye to the west…

From West to East

And now, it’s time to cross the city—from West to East—and discover the joy of traversing NYC (or vice versa). Until last night, I was ignorant that there were buses crossing the city horizontally. But during our dinner “en tête á tête”, my friend Dara - who is a real new yorker - made me discover the M23-SBS. (haha one day I will tell you about my very first bus ride in NYC … )

From the fairs, walk by the legendary Chelsea Hotel, pay them a visit, it’s a must, hop in the M23 sit back, wear your headphones, volume up, listen to THE pure disco hit: from East to West by Voyage and watch the city parading before you!

The three fairs on the East side of the city are located in architectural treasures:

TEFAF takes over the stunning building of the Park Avenue Armory, the historic armory for the U.S. Army National Guard designed in the Gothic Revival style by Charles Clinton. The extravagant floral compositions that decorate the lobby are one of my highlights of the fair.

The American Art Fair focuses on American 18th-21st century works with hundreds of landscapes, portraits, still lifes, studies, and sculpture, all of them displayed around the Bohemian National Hall, a 1897 Renaissance Revival style building.

The youngest one, Esther, for its second edition, invites you to discover art into another unique and landmarked building: The Estonian House.

Voilà, art fairs are done. Time to take the F back to Brooklyn, and look at some more art, like Craig Hall’s beautiful photos, capturing every day commuters on the beloved F line.

The Art of Buying

When I was young, with my parents, we were visiting the Marseille Fair (did you see that the new pope may be from Marseille?), where hundreds of crazy inventors from all over the world were trying to convince them to purchase this apple peeler that peels faster than the speed of the light, or this electric can opener coming straight from America. There was also the Canine Fair, There was also the Canine Fair—by far my favorite, where hundreds of dogs from all breeds were parading. I remember walking underneath a giant Great Dane.

A fair is by definition a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. So, before heading to one or all of them, think about that: all these organizations, galleries etc etc are here to show you exceptional artworks and also to sell them.
For some, purchasing art is a financial investment. For others, it’s an emotional one and don’t believe that you need to be a billionaire to buy art. Have you heard about Herbert and Dorothy Vogel, a legendary couple of modest means who amassed one of the most important collections of contemporary art in the U.S?. She was a librarian at the Brooklyn Public Library, he was postal worker. They were only buying art from young and emerging artists, art they primarily loved from their hearts and guts.

Whether you spend $50 or $50 million, an artwork will stay with you every day, for your whole life. You will live with it, sleep below it, eat next to it, make love in front of it. And thanks to you, galleries will continue to present artists, artists will continue to create art, and art will continue to cross centuries, surviving all of us.

Listen to your heart, to your guts, any of your organ, be touched by art.

I wish you a Happy Art Week!

Lucien

Two gifts for you

Future Fair generously offers complimentary VIP passes to my readers.
Register on the link below.

Discover the extensive The Invisible Dog’s art collection of
Only by appointment, lunch or tea will be served. RSVP below