At this precarious moment, a lot of art fairs seem to be going through identity crises. Not Independent. Originally established in 2010, Independent has been a staple in the fair circuit and a breath of fresh air in its careful and ambitious programmatic vision since its inception. In 2022, the fair strategically expanded, announcing a second edition of the fair, “Independent 20th Century,” which focuses on celebrating lesser known and recognizable makers and artistic movements from 1900 – 2000. This year, which marks the fourth edition of the fair on view at Casa Cipriani through September 7, the fair has solidified its singular perspective and unwavering commitment to excellence, discovery, and connoisseurship through an immaculately organized assemblage of galleries presenting thought-provoking installations.
Another key ingredient to the fair’s continued success is its constant influx of new galleries and artists. No two editions feel the same, which is a refreshing reprieve from the formality of some other mega fairs across the world. There is always something new to discover at Independent.
Throughout history people have collected art. Even through economic and political turmoil and uncertainty, people have found ways to engage, steward, and buy art. There is an undeniable need to connect with art, which Independent 20th Century has so exactingly done with this latest edition. Whitewall selected its favorite presentations and discoveries at this year’s event.
Ken Kiff at Hales Gallery
Ken Kiff, National Gallery – Triptych, 1993, Acrylic on board panel in three (3) parts, Overall: 48 x 100 3/8 in. Image courtesy the artist and Hales, London and New York © The Estate of Ken Kiff. All rights reserved, DACS 2025.
Hales presents an incredible selection of works by English artist Ken Kiff (1935–2001), which builds upon a recent exhibition at the gallery’s London location this past spring. During his lifetime, Kiff was celebrated by critics and institutions alike across the United Kingdom, and this presentation showcases a remarkable mix of his work to a US audience. From 1991-1993, Kiff was the Associate Artist in Residence at the National Gallery, London, which allowed him full access to the museum’s collection and inspired a wide range of works that he would go on to make for many years after the conclusion of the residency. With an uncanny ability to create forms, the works on view demonstrate his aptitude for material exploration. Given the diversity of the National Gallery’s holdings, you can see an astonishing range of influences, from modernist masters to Old Masters.
Lucia di Luciano at Lovay Fine Arts
Lucia di Luciano, Untitled, 2024, Acrylic and China ink on masonite, 15.7 x 15.7 in. Courtesy of Lovay Fine Arts, Di Luciano Pizzo Archives, and Independent.
Italian artist Lucia di Luciano has an excellent solo presentation at Swiss Gallery, Lovay Fine Arts’ booth. Working since the 1950s, di Luciano was instrumental as a leader of the Italian movement, Arte Programmata, which explored the relationships between art, politics, and technology. Active in Rome alongside her late husband and artist Giovanni Pizzo, both di Luciano and Pizzo were formative in forming other avant garde artistic collectives in Italy, including Gruppo 63 and Operativo R., which connected to Arte Programmata’s interest in exploring the intersections between various modalities of making and explorations of new technologies. The presentation celebrates di Luciano’s exploration of abstraction through a series of differently sized square paintings. Employing a range of tactile gestures, each composition draws the viewer in with the artist’s careful selection of vibrant colors and approaches to markmaking.
Bruce Richards at Sea View
Bruce Richards, Witness, 1992, oil on linen, 18 x 14 ¾ in. Courtesy of Sea View and Independent.
Bruce Richards, The New Breeze, 1989, oil on canvas, 58 ½ x 35 in. Courtesy of Sea View and Independent.
LA-based gallery Sea View brings a stellar range of paintings by artist Bruce Richards made during the 1980s and 1990s. Richards studied at UC Irvine during a particularly politically and socially significant moment in history, and had also worked as an assistant for artists Vija Celmins and Craig Kauffman. Combining an astonishingly exacting approach with visual motifs from popular culture, Richards works are rife with symbolism and narrative. The works on view chronologically coincide with his move to New York and living through the AIDS crisis, which undoubtedly influenced his practice. These works highlight his deep connection to California and its post-war traditions in art, but through Richards’ specific and unique approach to creating compositions.
Ishiuchi Miyako at Michael Hoppen Gallery
Portrait of Ishiuchi Miyako. Courtesy of Michael Hoppen Gallery and Independent.
Photography enthusiasts will thoroughly enjoy Michael Hoppen Gallery’s installation of photographs by internationally-acclaimed Japanese artist Ishiuchi Miyako. With a mesmerizing aptitude for composing images, including still lifes, portraits, and street scenes, Ishiuchi’s aesthetic sensibilities and tactile connection to her medium come together in the poignant and raw images that she makes. The grittiness of the scenes, people, and objects she comes across is further emphasized through her signature grainy and highly contrasted printing style. Through this engaging installation of photographs printed on vintage silver gelatin prints and made during the late 1980s, Ishiuchi aptly demonstrates the stark difference between taking a picture and image making, at a moment when the ubiquity of documenting something with a camera or a phone has become devoid of emotion or meaning. Ishiuchi shows us how we ought to engage with the people and world around us.
Nicol Allan and Alexander Calder at Luxembourg + Co.
Nicol Allan, Composition D45, c.1976-79. Courtesy of Luxembourg + Co. and Independent.
Nicol Allan, Composition A14, 1966-67. Courtesy of Luxembourg + Co. and Independent.
“A Balancing Act” at Luxembourg + Co.’s booth brings together works by Nicol Allan (1931-2019) installed alongside a large standing mobile by the great Alexander Calder. Allan, who was born in Los Angeles but spent much of his young career as an artist in London and Paris, and was deeply influenced by the modernist movements of Europe. Allan primarily worked in solitude, but connected with other artists and supporters throughout his travels. For this presentation, the gallery has carefully selected a range of collages on paper dated from the 1960s and 1970s. Building upon his early fascination with abstraction and papier collé, Allan’s surgical and architectural compositions were created with such a commitment to precision. The connection to Calder’s mobile, Crag with White Flower and White Disc from 1974, is apt in how both artists consider balance and form with such singularity.
