The New York art fair from the New Art Dealers Alliance (NADA) is in full swing at Basketball City on Pier 36. In the New York Times, art critic Roberta Smith has already chimed in with an enthusiastic assessment:
If you like your art fairs of manageable size and relaxed mood, as well as free, with a more-than-respectable level of quality, the fair of the New Art Dealers Alliance, or NADA, is for you. Especially if you don’t have, oh, $179 million, give or take several zeros, to toss around. And also if you thrill to the idea of simply taking art home in a large shopping bag and starting to live with it immediately. The latest iteration of New York’s NADA fair, is a place for, shall we say, less-established artists, galleries and nonprofit organizations. More important, it is a training ground for something the art world sorely needs: people who collect art the old-fashioned way. It’s a pretty basic formula. Without access to art advisers, private curators or spreadsheets, old-style collectors follow their eyes, not the herd, seeking things that are maybe overlooked and undervalued. They find dealers they trust and listen to as a way of learning to hear their own reactions.
We stopped by yesterday to have a look at some of the more than 100 galleries exhibiting this weekend. LES galleries represented below include Eleven Rivington, Invisible Exports, Essex Flowers and the Abrons Arts Center.
In addition to the art and a big program of events being held in Basketball City, the NADA Art Fair offers a rare chance for locals to enjoy the promenade overlooking the East River. Several vendors, including local favorite Cafe Dancer, are serving up food and drink.
For more details, see our earlier post about the fair.
