21/05/2026
This week in May in NY is maybe the biggest week of the art world calendar.
Between the auctions, the numerous fairs (TEFAF, Frieze, Nada, Independent, American Art Fair etc), the very many commercial gallery shows, and of course the incredible museum shows, there has been so much to see.
The sheer amount and miles to cover is bewildering and exhilarating in equal measure.
The galleries were on exceptional form. On the Upper East Side, the Matisse at Acquavella is simply a standout show by any measure, while the Gnoli at Levy Gorvy Dayan rewards close attention, and the Dalí at Di Donna is as seductive and strange as you’d hope.
In Chelsea the shows were also strong, our favourites being the Richter landscapes at Zwirner, the Kiefer & Frankenthaler at Gagosian and the Danielle McKinney at Boesky.
For the museums, the Raphael at the Met is a once-in-a-lifetime, sublime exhibition, with incredible depth. The Duchamp at MoMA is also excellent and demonstrates how versatile the artist was throughout his career – continuously pushing boundaries.
At the auctions, the S.I. Newhouse sale at Christie’s was the highlight, but what’s genuinely encouraging is the confidence across the board: strong results not just at the top end, but through the day sales too. The volume and value transacted this week suggests real appetite has returned to the market in a meaningful way.
As for the fairs, was the standout one for us.
To sum it up, it’s been a sleep deprived, intense but thoroughly brilliant week, where the weather has matched the market, it’s all been scorching!
