Tefaf is the only fair held in the Park Avenue Armory to make use of its period rooms on the first and second floors, whose architectural features reflect the building’s original Gothic Revival style.
Among the galleries that have taken stands in this section—which appear closer to curated presentations than the standard spaces downstaiArs in the main hall—are several first-time participants to the fair.
These include David Aaron, a London gallery specialising in ancient artefacts, whose presentation is anchored by a Hultmark Horus falcon from third century BC Egypt. Hollow cast in bronze, “it likely served as a votive offering or even a coffin for a mummified falcon”, according to a gallery release, while the remains of rods at its base suggest it was also used as temple furniture.
Another first-time exhibitor, David Gill, is showing furniture designed by the late starchitect Zaha Hadid, including tables from her Liquid Glacial series (2012-15), which pushed the boundaries of sculptural acrylic in design. Also making its Tefaf debut is New York’s Ortuzar gallery, which, along with Marc Selwyn Fine Art from Los Angeles, is staging a joint presentation of the US sculptor Lee Bontecou.
Although the features of the Armory’s period rooms, with their dark wood panelling and idiosyncratic features, might deter some exhibitors, other gallerists relish the unusual dialogues that are created by showing there.
No white walls
“In the past we’ve always tried to engage with the historical space and create a setting where the furniture and works interact with the period details of the room,” says Juliet Burrows, the co-founder of Hostler Burrows. “As this meant we used no white walls, our space has always had a moody and dramatic feeling.” The gallery is showing for the sixth consecutive year in the Moose Room—whose walls are lined with taxidermied moose heads.
“As we are specialised in Scandinavian design, the moose heads were never a deterrent for us; according to lore they were shot by [the former US president] Teddy Roosevelt,” she adds.
The gallery is this year showing Scandinavian furniture by designers including Torbjørn Kvasbø and Caroline Slotte. It will also update its usual presentation style to better highlight the moose. “In the past we’ve let the moose heads disappear into the darkness; this year we have added swathes of muslin ceiling, which will create more light overhead and allow the moose to have more of a presence.”
- Tefaf New York, Park Avenue Armory, 9-13 May
