The Independent Art Fair continues to get better with age. The sharpness with which they select galleries to participate, paired with the evolution of venues over time has been remarkable to witness over the last several years. When the Breuer Building was sold in 2023, art and architecture enthusiasts alike wondered about the public accessibility to this remarkable site. Thankfully, visitors to this year’s fall edition of Independent 20th Century have been given an opportunity to see art in this iconic space in an entirely new way.
Now entering its 5th year, Independent 20th Century welcomes 57 nominated exhibitors presenting works by more than 130 artists. There is always a unique sense of discovery at this fair, and the range of solo, duo, and group exhibitions provide a range of experiences in a compelling, historic space. Spread across several floors, there are so many incredible presentations to explore, and it is great to see how they respond to the modernist cues from the building, as well as its historical significance as the previous home of the Whitney Museum.
Whitewall picked five stand-out booths that are not to be missed at this year’s edition.
Mary Grigoriadis at Ortuzar
Mary Grigoriadis, “Tutankhamen’s Repose,” 1976, oil on raw linen, 66 x 66 inches. © Mary Grigoriadis. Courtesy of the artist and Ortuzar, New York. Photo by Thomas Barratt.
Mary Grigoriadis, “Ravenna Eve,” c. 1979-1980, oil on raw linen, 66 x 66 inches. © Mary Grigoriadis. Courtesy of the artist and Ortuzar, New York. Photo by Thomas Barratt.
Ortuzar is presenting a wonderful mix of works by Mary Grigoriadis, and marks the artist’s first presentation with the gallery. The booth focuses specifically on Grigoriadis’ work in the 1970s, when she first came onto the scene as an artist. Both due to the size of her studio and an interest in maintaining a close physical relationship to the surfaces upon which she works, Grigoriadis only works on canvases that are 12-feet-by-12-feet or 66-by-66 inches. The works on view present both of these sizes, and it’s great to see the different approaches employed across these different sizes. Grigoriadis’ restraint and ability to maneuver the materials she uses with such confidence and clarity is remarkable to experience up close. The bold colors and wide range of shapes that comprise each composition juxtapose powerfully with the Brutalist context, and provide a nice warmth to the otherwise austere surroundings. As one of the founding members of the all-female, artist-run cooperative gallery A.I.R., and a leading figure in the Pattern and Decoration movement, Grigoriadis influence is expansive, and this presentation highlights an important moment in her journey as an artist still practicing today.
Elaine de Kooning Olney Gleason
Elaine de Kooning, “Bacchus # 4,” 1980, acrylic on canvas, 60 x 40 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Olney Gleason.
Elaine de Kooning, “Bacchus #80,” 1983, acrylic on canvas, 84 x 66 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Olney Gleason.
Olney Gleason’s Independent 20th Century presentation of works by Elaine de Kooning is a remarkable testament to the extremely high quality and caliber of art on view at this fair year after year. The gallery is showing a selection of works from de Kooning’s Bacchus series, which she began in Paris and worked on between 1976 and 1983. Taking inspiration from visits to Jardin du Luxembourg and the epic Bacchus sculpture on display in the park, the works on view capture her interpretations of the sculpture at different moments throughout the day. A decade before these canvases were made, many French Impressionists were capturing certain buildings or scenes over and over again, portraying the unique way that light and time of day can completely transform one’s perception of a place, and these works continue upon that impulse in an entirely new way. It gives the viewer a sense of an artist’s process and urgency to try and understand the world around them. Seeing the different scales and wildly differing color palettes employed in each composition is wonderful to see, and portrays de Kooning’s remarkable curiosity as an artist.
“Black SoHo” at RYAN LEE Gallery and Salon 94
Installation view of “Black SoHo” at RYAN LEE Gallery and Salon 94 at Independent 20th Century. Courtesy of the artists, RYAN LEE Gallery, and Salon 94.
RYAN LEE Gallery and Salon 94 have teamed up to present “Black SoHo,” a group show with works by Emma Amos, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Camille Billops, Frederick J. Brown, Vivian Browne, Ed Clark, David Hammons, and Norman Lewis. The presentation celebrates the incredible Black artists who made SoHo into the cultural hub it became starting in the 1960s. Industrial lofts and expansive spaces allowed for the creation of a community for artists to share ideas, show work, and inspire one another, which resulted in an incredible range of artistic approaches. This exhibition captures that variety, and includes paintings, works on paper, sculptures, furniture, and other objects. It is refreshing to see these works in conversation with one another, especially knowing how the city of New York helped shape the relationships and activities that brought these artists together.
Alice Trumbull Mason at Galerie Lelong
Alice Trumbull Mason, “Dark Pressure,” 1963, oil on canvas, 24 x 30 in. © Emily Mason and Alice Trumbull Mason Foundation, Inc. Licensed by Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Courtesy of Galerie Lelong, New York.
Galerie Lelong’s presentation of works by Alice Trumbull Mason is absolutely perfect, especially as shown in the context of the Breuer Building. In 1973, the Whitney Museum presented a posthumous retrospective in the same venue, so this feels very much like a welcomed homecoming for this body of work. The gallery is showing a focused selection of works made between the late 1950s and the 1960s and highlights Mason’s exploration of geometric abstraction. At the time these paintings were made, the Minimalist art movement was still nascent, and Mason’s early explorations of space and form inspired a generation of artists grappling with new forms of artistic expression post-AbEx. This assembly reinforces her important place in the cannon, and to see her work in this Brutalist context is so revelatory. And for those who want to see more, fear not: the Gallery will host an exhibition of Mason’s work in January 2027.
“Stable Gallery: The Women” at Berry Campbell
Mercedes Matter, Untitled (Provincetown), c. 1935, oil and sand on board, 16 x 20 inches. © Estate of Mercedes Matter. Courtesy of Barry Campbell, New York.
For Berry Campbell’s first presentation at Independent 20th Century, the gallery has organized a show, entitled “Stable Gallery: The Women,” which explores the pioneering gallerist Eleanor Ward’s early championing of women abstract expressionists, and the artist legacies she helped build through her stewardship. The presentation includes a range of important works by artists such as Elaine de Kooning, Joan Mitchell, Charlotte Park, and Yvonne Thomas, and it is refreshing to see the women she supported in the spotlight. Even after Ward’s death, she was remembered by many of the male artists she showed, so this presentation feels essential and refreshing. Berry Campbell has diligently and impactfully highlighted their commitment to showing and recontextualizing so many important women artists, and it is exciting to see the continued legacy of Ward’s efforts continued by Christine Berry and Martha Campbell program.
