
TEFAF Recap: Four Favorties
- TEFAF
- Chiara Padejka
- May 12, 2025
- 5 min read
With grandeur and heavy hitters, TEFAF rolled in as the finale to NY art week. Spanning two floors of the Park Avenue Armory, The European Fine Arts Fair welcomed the art and design industry’s crème de la crème and some fantastic newcomers. Spanning from established galleries towards the front to newer, quirkier galleries in the back, our favorite galleries at Creativo spanned from the exhibit's different corners.
Front and center, Gagosian (Stand 350) came out to bat swinging. Despite its stature as a superstar and macho gallery, the legendary gallery took a more feminine approach this year. In a matcha colored carpeted space, Gagosian showcased Anna Weyant’s most recent series of petit trompe l'oeil jewelry boxes. Embedded with nods to her signature dark paper flower/doll aesthetic, the shadowed canvases evoked the illusion of three-dimensional jewelry boxes. Inspired by her work for Tiffany and Co, Anna’s most recent oil collection delivered extreme detail and metallic colors. According to the gallery, the artist, also known for her former relationship with Larry Gagosian, has no painter’s assistants and takes adequate time to complete her work. Dainty chains, shiny pearls, and two-dimensional flower accents filled the warm, brown, box-like canvases. Layered with strange perfection, scary symmetry, and sardonic price tags, the works take a new direction, but continue to carry Weyant’s reoccurring themes of melancholy, transformation, and growth through floral motifs.
Close nearby, David Zwirner's booth (Stand 347) featured Ruth Asawa’s brilliantly complicated wire sculptures. The significant works were displayed over white organic-shaped bases. In a sea of over-saturation and maximalist works, the late artist’s minimalist work stood out with clarity and timelessness. Her hanging sculptures beckoned viewers to look closer at the tactile forms. Behind them, freewheeling and delicate watercolors of flowers highlighted another side of the Asawa, who normally favored harsher materials in her work, especially harsh and painstakingly intricate metals. Born in 1926, Ruth Asawa was a Japanese visual artist raised in San Francisco. During the Second World War, she was placed in an internment camp with other Japanese Americans under the government’s mandate. During her time there, she became interested in illustration and visual crafts. Eventually, she left the camp and studied teaching at Milwaukee State Teachers College. She befriended Annie and Josef Albers, who encouraged her to visit Mexico and study modernist art. Her trip to the country inspired her interest in textiles and weaving techniques. Soon after, she began to work with wire and created loop-wire sculptures. The brass and copper material provides the illusion of infinity. The artist passed away in 2013. The gallery works with the estate to display her rare pieces. She currently has a retrospective with SFMoma which will travel to NY’s MoMa in the fall. The exhibit will coincide to honor the artist before Asawa’s 100th birthday, in early 2026.
Further in, Galerie Maria Wettergren's booth (Stand 378) at TEFAF highlighted Scandinavian contemporary design and art. Based in Paris, Maria Wettergren’s gallery emphasizes textile works and female artists. Hidden towards the back, we were immediately attracted to its soft and delicate showcase, particularly the work FABEL. FABEL is Gjertrud Hal’s most recent work. Hals, born and based in Norway, is one of the pioneering artists in Scandinavian textile and fabric. Maria provided insight into her rise in the design world - which started in the 80s with three-dimensional weaving and thread work. FABEL is a unique and original piece that sources wires from used electric cables. The piece features copper thread in a crochet pattern and integrated small found objects from her life - recycled from beer cans, wine bottles, cut-out symbols, animals, and figures. Maria described the work as “creating poetic microcosms of storytelling”. When lit, the staged, delicate work creates an intricate silhouette on the white wall behind it. Illuminating its various patterns, the power of light and shadow provides another dimension of artwork. We noted that metal/wire work was more popular this year. Maria explained that when she began in 2010, not many galleries highlighted textile artists. Over time it has become more trendy, attracting several private collectors. Hal’s work was highlighted in conjunction with the other nearby works including the soft pastel signature of the DIOPTRIC series (Margrethe Odgaard) and the bright, round sisal rope piece SISAL CRYSTA (Cecilie Bendixen). The ethereal atmosphere of the space and Maria’s taste in serene, yet powerful work placed Galerie Maria Wettergren high on our list.
Finally, the Carpenters Workshop Gallery's (Stand 303) collectible designs and creative furniture created a world of wonder and imagination in the back. Playful and inspired, the gallery drew us in with its funky collectibles and statement pieces that function both as practical interior design and artistic vessels. A particular highlight included a chunky blue standing clock. Unlike a traditional face, Maarten Baas’ CHILDREN’S CLOCK looked more adjacent to television and featured a screen that played footage of kids drawing the minute and hour hands. Filled with spontaneity, unpredictability, and imagination, the piece is part of Baas’ ever-growing interest in representing childhood joy and openness. Every minute, the child’s hand and design changes for each accompanying unit of time, making Baas’ piece a functional timepiece. 720 children were involved in the project’s creation, thus evoking 720 minutes - 12 hours. Baas’ special limited edition collection of 101 clocks is sold in various colors.
Furthermore, Aki+ Arnaud Cooren’s ISHIGAKI FLOOR LAMP #12 WHITE SNOW, 2025 created an ethereal underwater effect. Seeking to provide the illusion of experiencing ocean diving, the soft and organic lamp illuminated the colorful dream world. In an event that can lean towards esteem and stuffiness, Carpenters Workshop retained an unpretentious vibe, a playful showcase, and innovative design.
Despite the tough market, the Upper East Side establishment and the international scene brought out their best and highlighted the work of several known-name figures. From rising superstars to international pioneers to underrated legends, the fair's heart belonged to female artists. While some may try to belittle their more intimate and unfussy approach, the galleries that showcased these women shone. We hope to see more of them next year.
Links
TEFAF
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