What We Saw at Salon Art + Design
Returning for its 12th edition, Salon Art + Design last week once again injected New York’s historic Park Avenue Armory with collectible works from over 50 international exhibitors. A mix of presentations from leading art and design galleries flowed throughout the venue’s intricate, Gilded Age reception rooms and onto the sprawling floor of the former Drill Hall. Sprinkled throughout the space, Salon introduced a new series of special design and jewelry exhibitions, which ranged from exclusive capsule collections from individual designers to smaller curations from galleries. Of the diverse mix of blue-chip artwork and vintage, modern, and contemporary design presented, we’re sharing a few of our favorite moments from Salon Art + Design 2023.
Charles Burnand Gallery at Salon Art + Design, photo by Peter Baker.
Charles Burnand Gallery at Salon Art + Design: “SUPER, NATURAL”
A sinuous paneled wall creates an elegant backdrop for over 30 new works presented by the London-based Charles Burnand Gallery. For the gallery’s fourth Salon appearance, the curation was intended to elicit the feel of a private home or apartment. Among the predominantly soft, curving furnishings, a monumental acrylic floor lamp from Labaye Sumi steals the show. Titled Noailles Column, the chromatic lamp is an edition of three and can be adjusted by moving the suspended cylindrical shades along its central pillar.
Tim Horn, “Tree of Heaven,” courtesy of Cristina Grajales Gallery.
Cristina Grajales Presented Tim Horn at Salon Art + Design
Local Salon veteran Cristina Grajales Gallery put on a glamorous and glitzy display, which was designed and curated by interior designer Young Huh. Black walls and sleek lilac seating from New York- and Mexico City-based designer Mark Grattan complemented the Tribeca gallery’s predominantly chrome offerings. Lining the walls were three breathtaking hangings by Tim Horn. The nickel-plated bronze and mirrored glass works were inspired by vintage jewelry and speak to the trending resurgence of decoration in design.
Liz OBrien’s Living Room at Salon Art + Design, photo by Peter Baker.
Salon Art + Design Welcomed Liz O’Brien’s Living Room
In collaboration with celebrated interior designer Brian J. McCarthy and plaster artist Stephen Antonson, Manhattan decorative arts dealer Liz O’Brien presented a cozy living room on the Drill Hall floor. Complete with plaster columns, dynamically patterned molding, and a fireplace from Antonson, the space also included framed porcelain sculpture from Irish artist Isobel Egan and textile explorations from American quiltmaker, Carson Converse.
Magen H Gallery at Salon Art + Design, Studio TBE for Magen H Gallery.
New from Magen H Gallery for Salon Art + Design
Rich chocolate tones dominated the groovy mid-century presentation by the New York-based Magen H Gallery. Specializing in post-war French design, the gallery showcased vintage pieces by Pierre Machefer, Jean Prouvé, Pierre Sabatier, Francisque Chaleyssin, Hervé Baley, Pierre Chapo, René Gabriel, Roger Capron, André Sornay, Pierre Székely, Pierre Jeanneret, and Le Corbusier. Front and center were two chairs by French mid-century architect and designer Baley. The uniquely geometric, sculptural wooden seats included white hide cushions and were arranged around the slate-topped Gueridon Bas Coffee Table designed by Prouvé circa 1942.
DeMuro Das at Salon Art + Design, photo by Peter Baker.
What We Saw from Demuro Das
For their Salon debut, New Delhi and New York-based design studio Demuro Das introduced the Badal, Clarion, and Tempest collections. Set against a moody black backdrop, intended to evoke the gritty process of sand casting, the presentation of tables experiments with a range of semi-precious stones, metal casting, and stone marquetry techniques seldom seen in furniture. Each piece is manufactured in the studio’s New Delhi factory by specialized artisans whose knowledge of handicrafts has been passed down for generations.
Galerie Philia at Salon Art + Design, courtesy of Galerie Philia and Maison Mouton Noir.
Galerie Philia Brings “Reflect” to Salon Art + Design
First-time exhibitor Galerie Philia opted for a sparse booth, releasing the following poignant statement:
“Philia is a call for virtue.
Philia is the deep care and affection between equals.
Philia is, in Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics, the highest form of friendship.
Never again is now.
We decided to empty our booth and offer a physical and mental space to reflect.
Dialogue and mutual understanding is the only way.
Coexistence is the only way.
Peace is the only way.”
The international gallery had been poised to present Philia Classics Revisited, a limited-edition collection from eleven designers, reimagining the gallery’s most iconic pieces in travertine. Instead, Reflect, includes only five works from designers Cédric Breisacher, Elsa Foulon, Phillip Jividen, Morghen, and William Guillon.
Halcyon Gallery at Salon Art + Design, courtesy of Halcyon Gallery.
Halcyon Gallery Presented “Feeding Consciousness”
London-based fine arts purveyor Halcyon Gallery made its splashy Salon debut with an exhibition from interactive digital artist, Dominic Harris. After a hugely successful debut at Halcyon’s Mayfair gallery earlier this year, Feeding Consciousness is a series of works combining AI, code, machine learning, 3D sensors and other digital art technology. At its center, a ten-foot tower, inspired by the Biblical story of the Tower of Babel, displays, in real-time, the highest trending topics on Google’s UK search engine. Composed of 180 LCD screens, the piece is intended to represent the “country’s collective consciousness.”
