I apologise in advance if this entry is somewhat sparse and not quite up to speed, as I am nursing a harsh hangover with added sleep deprivation. No sympathy please for self inflicted wounds.
So, yesterday I met up with the fair gang, Cyril and Richard, both of who are collectors and dealers. We arrange to meet at NADA, which is located all the way up Collins at the Deauville Beach Resort. Now, I have always been a big admirer of this fair, it is manageable in size and the quality of the galleries on show is always first rate. Once inside the fair, you look out directly onto a stunning view of the beach and the hotel swimming pool. The whole fair appears to be like some kind of retro holiday camp, with the booths being small cubicles of delight.
Many of galleries had something to commend about them, but here are the ones that stood out. While I was admiring the work being shown at James Fuentes, Richard brought a Basquiat poster at Alden (that name again), for $5,500, apparently there are only 35 in the world, so it is more like a limited edition print. Richard feels that he can sell it for a profit, which I’m sure he can.
I liked much of the work on show at New Galerie (Paris) and from the UK, Jonathan Viner and Seventeen had a good offering, with the latter having fine work by Oliver Laric and Saitlin Kaeley. Other galleries of note are Invisible Exports USA and Klaus von Nichtssagend, who were showing quality work by Pamela Jorden. Bureau (NY) and Canada had a good showing with works by Jessica Silverman and Leslie Fritz. The pieces by Aris Moore at Jack Hanley are worth mentioning. The Journal Gallery out of Brooklyn also had a strong booth, but the best of the bunch was Peres Project and I particularly liked Brent Wadden, David Ostrowski, Nicole Klagsbrun and Elaine Reichem showing there. Other galleries worth mentioning are Corbett vs Dempsey and Creative Growth, who were showing John Hiltunen and William Scott. Other interesting British offerings were Joshua Lilley, Bischoff / Weiss, Cole, and Christopher Crescent.
We left NADA and went onto Pulse and will report back on that fair shortly.
Words: Ben Austin Photo © ArtLyst 2012