An Autumnal Gallery Crawl for Art Aficionados: October Art Week Opens with 19 Gallery Open Houses
- NEW YORK, New York
- /
- October 23, 2017
Building on its huge success from last year, the second iteration of October Art Week will kick off on October 26, from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. with a round of convivial Upper East Side gallery open-houses – organized to coincide with TEFAF New York and Christie’s Classic Art Week of auctions and selling exhibitions. Nineteen of the world’s most noted fine and decorative art dealers will add to the week’s electricity by curating and hosting special exhibitions—all within strolling distance of one another.
Here is an overview of some of the prime highlights that these pre-eminent galleries want art lovers to take special notice of:
Returning to October Art Week is Didier Aaron, Inc., which is showcasing for special attention In the Sulks. Worked by a nearly unknown French painter from the end of the 19th century, Philippe Grondard, the 37-by-50-inch painting was sold by Didier Arron two decades ago to a couple with a large family who are now downsizing. “This painting is out of a movie set!” exclaims the gallery owner Hervé Aaron. “Everyone who looks at it has a different idea of what is happening, so special is the painting’s ability to spark the imagination.” 32 East 67th Street
At Adler Beatty and David Zwirner, don’t bypass Leaf Study III, an 18-inch square work by Josef Albers that is part of “Josef and Anni and Ruth and Ray.” Albers completed the piece, which incorporates actual autumn leaves, around 1940 while he was teaching at the storied Black Mountain College in North Carolina, where he long worked alongside his wife, Anni. 34 East 69th Street
In its exhibition of Old Master and 19th- and 20th-century paintings, Agnews and Naumann Fine Art at Otto Naumann Ltd. want to call notable attention to A Prophet, an oil on panel created in 1943 by Marcel Delmotte (1902-1984). An immense work measuring 37 by 87 inches, the painting exemplifies the artist’s early interest in neoclassical and mythic subjects. Here, the giant body of the prophet twists in a strained contrapposto, clutching for his falling robe. 22 East 80th Street, 2nd floor
Make time for a superb ormolu clock depicting Day and Night and showing the hour in every part of the globe. This bronze masterpiece, a consummately crafted object from the Age of Enlightenment, is part of “French Clocks as Sculpture” at Dalva Brothers. Dated 1780, the clock was displayed at the Frick Collection in 1982. 53 East 77th Street
Misty Morning, the highlight that Debra Force Fine Art doesn’t want gallery-goers to overlook, has an extensive early-exhibition history, including at the Paris Salon of 1891. The 28-by-40-inch oil on canvas was painted around 1882 by Thomas Alexander Harrison (1853-1930) and bears the original frame. Also on display are exceptional works of 18th, 19th- and 20th-century art by Milton Avery, Thomas Hart Benton, Stuart Davis, Winslow Homer and Edward Hopper, among others. 13 East 69th Street
Up for appreciative inspection at Nicholas Hall is a small exhibition of works by the Italian Baroque painter Carlo Maratti (1625–1713), who as an exponent of the classical tradition of Raphael and Poussin, ranks as the single most important Roman artist in the second half of the 17th century. Don’t fail to notice The Sacrifice of Noah, an extraordinary oval oil-on- canvas that measures 38 by 44 inches. 17 East 76th Street
In 1894, Renoir hired 16-year-old Gabrielle Renard to help his wife Aline, then expecting the couple’s second child. Gabrielle would remain with the family for the next 20 years. Renoir’s portrait of her, Gabrielle reprisant (1908), reflects the artist’s return to the traditions of Rubens and Titian, and it is the delicious treat in store at Hammer Galleries. 32 East 67th Street
Jack Kilgore & Co. is mounting a show called “Master Paintings: Recent Acquisitions,” and no one should miss the work by the important Swiss Symbolist Carlos Schwabe. It’s a 30-by-39-inch oil-on-canvas from the late 1930s titled Pommiers Fleuris (Blooming Apple Trees). It’s very representative of the artist’s later works when he often drew on flowers and plants as an emblem of human existence. 154 East 71st Street, 3rd floor
James MacKinnon Fine Paintings and Drawings has put together an exhibition called “Paintings and Sketches 1780-1880,” featuring a portrait, Lady with a Guitar, by Giovanni Boldini (1842-1931). It’s an outstanding work of the mid-1870s by a great Italian master, painted in the years following Boldini’s move to Paris when he was at the pinnacle of his powers. 22 East 80th Street, 3rd floor
At Mark Murray, keep an eye out for George Bellow’s Village on the Hill - Camden, Maine. This striking late work, painted in October,1916, remained in the collection of the artist’s wife, Emma Bellows, until her death in 1959, and was subsequently owned by Arthur K. Watson, United States Ambassador to France and son of the founder of IBM.
Jill Newhouse Gallery is unveiling an exhibition titled “Recent Acquisitions by Corot, Kokoschka, Matisse, Pissarro, Signac, Vuillard and Others.” Singled out for particular scrutiny is The Seine at Pont de Sully (with Notre Dame Cathedral at the Right). Painted by Paul Signac, this endearing masterwork was executed in black chalk and watercolor on laid paper marked with heraldic shield. 4 East 81st Street
The Mystic Marriage of St. Catherine of Alexandria is the beguiling label for the standout at Robert Simon Fine Art. An oil-on-tin that measures 22 by 17 inches, the work is by the great 18th-century Italian artist Corrado Giaquinto (1703–1766), and it belongs on every art lover’s must-see list. 22 East 80th Street, 4th floor
Saint-Cirq-Lapopie is a village in southwestern France perched high on a cliff overlooking the Lot River. Saint-Cirq-Lapopie, View from the Artist’s Studio is an oil painting. Both are recognized for picturesque beauty. Fortunately, the painting, by French artist Henri Martin (1860-1943), is easily accessible, as it is the featured attraction at Schiller & Bodo. “October Art Week provides us with a welcome opportunity to invite visitors to consider artworks in an intimate private gallery setting,” says Lisa Schiller, gallery co-owner. 4 East 81st Street
Shepherd W & K Galleries is shining a spotlight on Lyonel Feininger’s Pink Cloud II, a 17 by 30-inch oil on canvas made in 1928. It’s one of the key delights of “Lyonel Feininger: Paintings and Works on Paper,” organized in conjunction with the Vienna-based gallery Wienerroither & Kohlbacher, universally recognized for dealing in works on paper by the great Austrian artists working around 1900. 58 East 79th Street
Making its bow at October Art Week 2017, Tambaran is bestowing prominence to Dusk of Creation 01, a huge giclée-print photograph, measuring a nearly square 4 feet by 4 feet, by Damián Siqueiros. “October Art Week and the art walk are great opportunities to be visible,” says the gallery owner, Zarember. “It’s important for all gallerists to welcome visitors into our spaces, particularly since our event coincides TEFAF New York.” 5 East 82nd Street
With its unique cast and black and brown patina, Taylor|Graham will spotlight Cherokee, a very imposing bronze horse head by the American sculptor Wheeler Williams, circa 1936. Well- known for their animal sculpture, this work is unique in its modernity and clean beautiful lines. It’s also presented on an impressive hand-carved and titled marble base.
A large group of small paintings by Symbolist and Post-Impressionist painter Gaston La Touche that have not been shown in the United States for 100 years is the big draw at TREZZA. Of particular note is his Breton Women, which captures all the element for which he was masterful– color, light, movement and atmosphere. In addition, important Impressionist and modern European and American works on paper will be on display. “It is going to be a very exciting opportunity for art lovers and collectors alike,” says James Francis Trezza, “and I am delighted to be a part of it.” Trinity House, 24 East 64th Street
Most of the galleries participating in October Art Week will be open to the public during fair hours, including Saturday and Sunday. For an Art Walk map and gallery hours, visit www.octoberartweek.com.