TEFAF New York 2024
Traditionally, The European Fine Art Foundation (TEFAF) brought modern and contemporary art, jewellery, antiques, and design to the vibrant art community in May 2024 to Manhattan, hot on the heels of Frieze New York. Along with exhibitor stands in the Wade Thompson Drill Hall, TEFAF New York also offered curated spaces in the Armory's 16 period rooms, a TEFAF exclusive, and presentations in Creative Spaces throughout the fair.
The 10th edition of Tefaf New York coincides with the 100th anniversary of the Surrealist Manifesto, a document written in France for a radical art movement, motivating surrealism to be in the limelight at the art fair. Throughout the Park Avenue Armory, where the art fair is traditionally set, among the fair’s 89 international exhibitors from 15 countries, appeared the objects made during the heyday of Surrealism, from the 1930s to the 1950s, along with the art of other periods.
For the grand old art fair that started in Maastricht, the Netherlands, as a place to buy deaccessioned museum pieces and bona fide old masters, this is a big change: the New York edition focused this time on modern and contemporary art and many dealers here seemed to have followed the Surrealist theme.
Among the row of artworks on view, there was obviously a strong presence of women artists, including exhibitor presentations dedicated to women artists or solo artist exhibitions. Director of TEFAF New York Leanne Jagtiani stated, “This year, our dealers are signalling the growing presence of extraordinary female artists in the market with their selections. The diversity of these artists combined with our unparalleled commitment to quality further elevates the fair.”
Aljoscha’s Bioism was represented this year in a Special Feature of TEFAF Creative Spaces in New York. The work of Ukrainian artist Aljoscha is recognisable by large-scale conceptual installations that explore the creation of novel super-organisms, envisioning a future where the abolition of suffering leads to blissful deviations through bioengineering. His super-organisms are an ongoing testament to the mutations and their beauty.