Art and Philanthropy

The 35th edition of the Art Show drew a crowd of 10,000 visitors with proceeds benefitting the Henry Street Settlement

Organized by the Art Dealers Association of America (ADAA) at the Park Avenue Armory in New York City, The Art Show saw quite the successful turnout for the early November showcase. This prestigious art fair is known for bringing together the country’s finest in the art world for special programming and exhibitions of both historic and contemporary works, with this year featuring 78 exhibitors and 57 solo presentations. In addition, the Benefit Preview and admission proceeds realized over $1.1 million for the show’s partnering charity, the Henry Street Settlement.

View of vendors at The Art Show from 2022. Photo by Andy Ryan.

“This 35th edition of the fair was a true celebration of the ADAA mission and the powerful work of its member galleries,” says Maureen Bray, ADAA executive director. “The Art Show’s enthusiastic public reception, from those generously supporting the Benefit Preview to the collectors, artists and curators gathering at our sold-out events, demonstrates the impact and reach of the fair and the critical support it brings to longtime partner Henry Street Settlement. Our ADAA member galleries transcended all expectations in their critically acclaimed presentations of under-recognized talents, historic pinnacles and contemporary greats alike…”

Attendees in discussion amongst works from the 2022 showcase. Photo by Scott Rudd.

Bray notes that some stunning historic highlights from the show included 19th-century watercolors by the esteemed author George Sand (1804-1876), courtesy of Jill Newhouse Gallery, along with group exhibitions by Thomas Colville and Debra Force Fine Art, and an elegant solo presentation of works by Joseph Stella at Avery Galleries. Debra Force featured works that included Milton Avery’s (1885-1965) Yellow Jacket, circa 1942, showing the artist’s later style of bold color and flattened forms.

Programming highlights included a presentation by artist Kate Capshaw, who collaborated with Henry Street Settlement staff members on two portraits found throughout the fair. “Both works are included in an exhibition at the Settlement’s Dale Jones Burch Neighborhood Center on the Lower East Side,” reads the fair press release. “Bringing to the forefront both the organization’s charitable work and the philanthropic nature of The Art Show, this presentation was further enlivened by a discussion…in which David Garza, president and CEO of Henry Street Settlement, and Capshaw discussed these new works and the importance of the Settlement’s work to support New Yorkers in need with education, employment, shelter and arts programs.”

Milton Avery (1885-1965), Yellow Jacket, c. 1942. Courtesy of Debra Force Fine Art, New York.

Special programs continued each day of the event, like Meet the Artists, which “provided visitors to the fair the opportunity to meet and mingle with exhibiting artists as well as experts who shed light on some of the fair’s historical presentations,” including a talk between art historian Midori Yamamura and Michelle Yun Mapplethorpe, executive director of the Katonah Museum of Arton, on “how Asian artists made alliances and created networks of exchange in order to come to the United States and make sustainable studio practices in New York in the 1960s.”

Joseph Stella (1877-1946), Portrait of Grace, 1944. Oil on canvas, 23 x 20.” Signed and dated lower left: Joseph Stella/1944. Signed on verso: Joseph Stella.

On the overall state of the contemporary and historic American art market, Bray says, “I believe the ADAA members themselves, and the presentations they bring to The Art Show each year, are a great barometer by which to take the art market’s temperature. Much like years past, the 2023 fair featured a wide range of presentations by historic and contemporary artists alike—exemplifying the diversity of our members’ rosters and expertise as well as the interests of the viewing public.”