The Artsy Advisor Notebook: July 2023
In this monthly series, we gather thoughts and highlights from Artsy’s in-house art experts on what they’re seeing, looking forward to, and enjoying in the art world this month.
What We’re Noticing
Looking back at Art Basel
Installation view of Art Basel in Basel, 2023. Courtesy of Art Basel.
Art Basel’s flagship fair saw a number of headline sales, but “good, not great” was the prevailing report from gallerists as the week wound down. While dealers had previously remained silent about this market correction, discussions of a softer market were prevalent throughout the fair.
The results were by no means due to a lack of attendance. With COVID-19 travel restrictions lifted, collectors from Asia, and particularly China, made a strong return to the fair and its satellites Liste, Volta, and the very buzzy Basel Social Club. A younger generation of collectors was also out in full force, with streetwear supplanting the suits and ascots of yore.
American collectors were noticeably absent, however. Galleries said most had secured their purchases via online previews prior to the event, opting to skip the flight and Basel’s notoriously expensive and “meh” hotels. More Americans are expected at Art Basel’s Paris+ fair this October, apparently preferring bourguignon to bratwurst.
With the pandemic having solidified the art world’s ability to close sales from afar, fairs are now solidly social, relationship-building affairs. You can now attend three or four a year rather than the eight to twelve that was becoming the norm for particularly active collectors prior to 2020. But how better to build relationships than by clinking martini glasses at the Three Kings?
—Alexander Forbes, Head of Galleries and Fairs, New York
Painterly photography
More and more often, I spot photography works that, from afar, appear more like paintings. It’s only after moving a few steps closer, that one (with keen eyes) suspects the possibility of photography. This holds true for the works of Francisco Tavoni and Luuk de Haan.
Tavoni’s 2022 solo show at Lindberg Galleries in Richmond, Australia, was a wild success—not only did it sell out, but one of the pieces was acquired by the renowned Anne Tenenbaum and Thomas H. Lee collection. The artist’s works, which create the illusion of a hazy portrait painted by hand, are made through placing layers of fabric between the camera lens and the subject.
De Haan’s works are also very special in how they capture void and light, in many ways resembling abstract paintings. He is represented by Sydney-based photography gallery LIGHTWORKS, among others, and his works will be on view at the Haute Photographie Amsterdam this September. Tavoni and De Haan’s works shed light on new possibilities in fine art photography. I’m betting on the ascendancy of their work in the upcoming years.
—Jenna Lee, APAC Account Executive, South Korea
What We’re Anticipating
A summer auction featuring fresh, emerging art
Summer is traditionally when the art market cools, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of opportunities to discover new talent this season. This month, I’m most looking forward to Artsy’s next Post-War and Contemporary auction, which opens for bidding on July 17th and closes July 27th. The sale features over 150 artworks, the majority of which are unique pieces created by emerging artists at accessible price points.
The sale features several stunning works by Emily Ludwig Shaffer, a Brooklyn-based artist known for her flat, surrealistic paintings that mix imaginary architecture and natural elements to create worlds that are bright, bold, and uncanny. I was first introduced to the artist in early 2022 by a top Artsy collector, and I’ve been captivated by her work ever since. Shaffer continues to show great potential for savvy collectors following her auction debut at Phillips last September, where her painting Bay Leaf Wrapped Night (2018) sold for well above its estimate.
Other names featured in the auction include several top emerging queer figurative artists, my favorites being Ana Benaroya, Louis Fratino, Anthony Cudahy (who was featured in The Artsy Vanguard 2022), and Justin Liam O’Brien. These artists have become market darlings over the past few years, and given the long gallery waitlists for each, this a great opportunity for collectors to gain access to some of the leading names in queer figuration—a category within the broader market that will only continue to morph and expand.
As you browse the sale, I highly recommend also keeping an eye on the works by Dominic Chambers (another Artsy Vanguard alum), Rashaad Newsome, Caleb Hahne Quintana, Julie Curtiss, and Shona McAndrew.
—Caroline Perkins, Private Sales Advisor, New York
The Artists We’re Loving Now
I was excited to hear the announcement that Alicia Adamerovich is now being represented by Timothy Taylor, which will host her first solo show at the gallery’s New York space in autumn 2024. The artist is jointly represented by Kohn Gallery in Los Angeles, which held a sold-out solo show for the artist this past spring.
I was first introduced to Adamerovich’s surrealistic, biomorphic works several years ago via the Canadian gallery Pangée, and have been infatuated by the way her painting, sculpture, and furniture-making practices dialogue and intertwine with one another. Many of her paintings are wrapped and encased in hand-carved and fire-singed frames; with their rippling spikes and swirling tentacles, these sculptural wood elements both conceal and reveal Adamerovich’s otherworldly canvases, transcending the traditional purpose of a frame.
The shadowy vistas, unsettling forms, and Caravaggesque lighting of the paintings convey extreme psychological states and the human subconscious, which are enhanced by the sometimes-menacing, sometimes-cradling frames.
Representation by established international galleries often triggers a surge in demand for an artist, and I’m already receiving new requests from collectors for help in sourcing works by Adamerovich.
— Meave Hamill, Senior Private Sales Advisor, London
