Alighiero Boetti, Senza titolo (Tra l'inudine e il martello.....) (1989). Courtesy of Tornabuoni Art.
Alighiero Boetti, Senza titolo (Tra l'inudine e il martello.....) (1989). Courtesy of Tornabuoni Art.

Next week, TEFAF New York returns to the Park Avenue Armory showcasing museum-quality art and objects ranging from fine art to jewelry, antiques, and important design. Presented by the European Fine Art Foundation (TEFAF), the fair will host a prestigious roster of 91 galleries and dealers—with 13 new exhibitors. Now in its eighth edition, the fair will run May 12–16, 2023, concurrent with a new edition of TEFAF Online, which will highlight a selection of masterworks that are on view at the fair’s physical location at the Armory. Also, the fair website’s digital Stories section will continue to provide insightful content alongside other online programs from the TEFAF community.

Bruce Nauman, Proof for Hand Circle (1996). Courtesy of Peter Freeman, Inc., New York.

While the fair’s counterpart TEFAF Maastricht—founded in 1988 and recognized for bringing together art from an incredible breadth of collecting categories—has long been an annual art world calendar bastion, the concision and caliber of TEFAF New York has garnered it equal esteem. Largely bound by the proximity to art history, the New York fair has a sharp focus on modern and contemporary art, punctuated by design, ethnographic and ancient art, photography, and jewelry.

Shirley Jaffe, Sans titre (1965). Courtesy of the Estate of Shirley jaffe and Galerie Nathalie Obadia, Paris, Brussels. Photo: Bertrand Huet / tutti image.

TEFAF New York provides an invaluable opportunity for anyone—from avid collectors to art enthusiasts, designers to curators—to explore, discover, and learn about a wide range of works across a variety of mediums and time periods all in one place, with the juxtaposition of individual presentations sparking thought-provoking dialogues and discourse. Though everything that will be on view will not be known until the opening day, the first look at TEFAF New York promises it will be an exceptional iteration of the fair.

Hanne Friis, Trophy (2016). Courtesy of the artist and Galerie Maria Wettergren.

Some highlights of the forthcoming edition of the fair include Tornabuoni Art showcase of an iconic embroidery work by seminal Italian artist Alghiero Boetti, and Peter Freeman, Inc. presentation of Bruce Nauman’s Proof for Hand Circle (1996), emblematic of the American artist’s oeuvre. A drawing by modern master Egon Schiele, Seated Male Nude (Self-Portrait) (1917), will go on view with new exhibitor Richard Nagy Ltd. Also a new exhibitor, Galerie Nathalie Obadia will show Abstract Expressionist painter Shirley Jaffe’s Sans Titre (1965). Art from the 21st century includes Hanne Friis’s 2016 Trophy shown by Galerie Maria Wettergren, and blurring the line between sculpture and design is Jorge Pardo’s bar installation from 2005 will be on view with Petzel Gallery. Accentuated by jewelry pieces, like a pair of diamond leaf motif earrings by Hemmerle, and furniture such as an exquisite low table by Gio Ponti from ca. 1951 presented by Geoffrey Diner Gallery, TEFAF New York will offer a broad yet balanced fair experience for visitors.

Hemmerle Earrings. Courtesy of Hemmerle.

TEFAF New York runs March 12–16, 2023.