Money Bag Jane By Sean Keith at Artspace Warehouse, Los Angeles, $800 (All Photos By Gail)
For many New Yorkers, the fist sign of Fall might be the changing of the leaves, or a noticeable dip in temperatures; but for me, it’s the arrival of the Affordable Art Fair, which is the first big art event of the season. Whether you’re shopping for art, looking for inspiration, or just enjoy the social aspect of the fair, the AAFNYC offers something to satisfy every artistic palette. My tastes tend to run to pop and very contemporary art, so I’m going to show you a lot pieces that fit into those categories. Let’s get to it, shall we?
Art Chameleon in Her Natural Habitat
I love how this lady’s dress matches the colors of the art around her!
The Affordable Art Fair takes place across five days — Wednesday evening through Sunday afternoon — but you’ll always find me there during opening night’s Private View evening, when most of the press attend, and when there’s an open bar! This season’s bar was co-sponsored by Schoffenhofer Grapefruit Beer, which is my favorite drink in the entire universe. It. Is. So. Delicious.
This portly little guy is called Niemand, and he is the creation of Slovakian artist Viktor Freso. Niemand is a reoccurring character in Freso’s oeuvre, and I recommend you Google him and check out his previous incarnations for a fun time! Price: $8,500.
PF1 (Painter’s Fate #1) by Martin C. Herbst is an oil painting on mirrored aluminum. Price: $4,400.
Zapatos Personalizados by Veronica ‘Vero’ Nobile are custom-painted ceramic shoe sculptures. This one features a fun likeness of Wonder Woman! Found at ArtBA Gallery of NYC and Buenos Aires. Price: $400.
The late David Bowie continues to be a favorite subject for artistic interpretation. This acrylic on canvas portrait of Bowie by David Hollier features the lyrical text from his song “Heroes.” Very moving! Found at Mayson Gallery of NYC. Price: $8,000.
This decontextualization of a 1963 press photo of The Beatles, by Walter Knabe, features a sparkling finish of diamond dust. At Evan Lurie Gallery of Carmel, Indiana. Price: $8,700.
Do you like Disneyland? I sure do. Artist Jeff Gillette created these post-apocalyptic scenarios featuring foreboding takes on the iconic Disneyland Sign, which I find wildly compelling. Found at Bert Green Fine Art of Chicago. Price: $1,500 each.
I seriously never met a Skull I didn’t like. The Importance of Being Ernest (Crowned) by Ernesto Romano is a digital print on perspex that would go with any decor! At online gallery Degreeart.com. Price: $3,130.
Another colorful work from Degree Art is Guggenheim (Pink) by Michael Wallner, which is a print on brushed aluminum, in an edition of 25 pieces. Gorgeous! Price: $1,190.
Assorted Sweet Art / Candy Heart message art by Dean Zeus, over at TAG Fine Arts of London UK, is priced at just $300 per square! Affordable, indeed!
Debra Franses Bean’s POP Artbag sculptures are cast resin embedded with various colorful toys and other items, creating a one-of-a-kind piece to treasure forever. This ‘bag’ features limited-edition, fashion-themed Coca Cola bottles and cans. Found at TAG Fine Arts, it is a unique piece priced at $10,000.
POP Artbag, Detail
Bean also created Glitterati 3 (Pink Flock), a collection of fashion handbags comprised of vacuum-formed polyurethane with hand-colored, optical high-definition glitter. Breathtaking. Price: $4,800.
And while were on the subject of handbags, check out It’s a Birkin! by Nelson De La Nuez, which is obviously very heavily influenced by the art of Roy Lichtenstein. At Bruce Lurie Gallery selling for $6,500.
Here’s a timely piece, Interstate Now by Scott Froschauer. In an edition of 6 pieces at Artspace Warehouse. Price: $382.
Lip Service by Jeremy Biggers is an oil painting on a custom-cut, shaped wood panel that stands away from the wall like a sculpture. What a great conversation starter this would be! Found at Decorazon Gallery of London. Price: $6,500.
Do you love Money? Then you might feel drawn to A Dollar Is What I Need; a fiberglass and epoxy resin sculpture by Nemo Jantzen. Found at Artered Gallery selling for $5,200.
Street Art influences are evident in Flash’s Car by Teachr, which is spray-paint and acrylic on a metal street sign. Found at LA-based Bruce Lurie Gallery for $3,000.
Also on display in the booth for Bruce Lurie Gallery were many pop art, ‘stacked block’ sculptures by Todd Gray, who is a hot item right now. The Beatles‘ totem pole-like tower seen above has images and lyrics from the Fab Four’s songbook that any fan will recognize. It’s a very cool and fun piece, for sure.
Shep
Gray makes smaller, table top pieces as well. The sculptures above and below are priced at $5,000, each. This artist is ‘going places,’ as they say, so his work is a good investment!
Wunda By Todd Gray
I love this one. Refraction by Nat Bowen gets its glossy sheen from Bowen’s use of pigmented resin on acrylic sheet, with gold mirror acrylic edges. At Kahn Gallery for $9,900.
This excited little gal is lots of fun: Le Petite Folle (The Girl) by Xavi Carbonell. Priced at $5,000 from Art Angler, NY.
Gregos is a French street artist best known for the plaster casts of his face that he installs on the streets of cities across the globe! He has now moved into the gallery (Xin Art Galerie, in France, to be exact) where his Faces sell for $650, each!
That’s how you do it!
Everyone loves a little touch of neon: Palm Mirage #1 by Tom Adair, tucked away at Axiom Contemporary, and priced at $9,250.
Pool Party in a Giant Coffee Cup? Sure, why not! Cup IV by Pablo Dona might be a challenge to photograph, but it’s the kind of artwork that you can examine and enjoy for hours. The golfers on the tiny macarons are a nice touch as well!
I understand why they had to put a piece like this inside a vitrine, but I don’t have to like it.
I love this, but I would not want to have to dust it. Found at Evan Lurie Gallery. Price: $5,500.
Its probably because I take so many photos of wild flowers that I was very attracted to Thistle III by Elena Cohen. Priced at $3,000, at Artmix in Brooklyn.
Nina Bentley uses vintage manual typewriters as the basis for her sculptures, of which she also sells photographic prints in limited series’. This one, found at Elisa Contemporary Art, is entitled He Looked Good On Paper. Price unavailable.
Take a closer look at the keys.
America, Lets Play Over The Rainbow by Valerie Carmet takes the concept of the American Flag and replaces the red and white stripes with shelves holding a rainbow assortment of the tiny heads of famous cartoon characters, as seen atop Pez Candy Dispensers! Novel! This one-of-a-kind piece is $6,950 at Azart Gallery.
And . . .That’s All, Folks! The Affordable Art Fair may be over until next year, but you can still visit the websites of these galleries and purchase many of these pieces online, so start shopping! See you in the Spring!