New York Spring Art Week: Your Guide to Frieze, Fairs + Arty Parties Galore

Yo, Art Basel Miami! Are you ready for some serious competition? New York City is out to prove that they're still the art capital of the world and the next two weeks could be the icing on the cake with art fairs Frieze, NADA New York and Pulse New York coming to town. Throughout the week, we'll be listing all the events, parties and goings on that we think are worth your while to help plan your daily schedule, so check back for updates.


Wednesday, May 2th


Anonymous Gallery hosts a screening of Banksy's UK television program "The Antics Roadshow" at W.I.P. (37 Vandam Street), PLUS there's an afterparty hosted by Anthony Haden-Guest with a performance by The Love Show and a DJ set by Jaleel Bunton (TV on the Radio).


Thursday, May 3th


Courtney Love's "And She's Not Even Pretty," a collection of 45 drawings, opens at Fred Torres gallery tonight from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. It's up through June 15th.

Ed. Varie Gallery (208 East 7th Street) opens Lee Maida's "Profusive Technologies," 6 - 9 p.m.

Friday, May 4th

Shepard Fairey has a big opening tonight, 6 to 8 p.m., at Pace Prints Chelsea (521 West 26th Street, 3rd floor) featuring new works in a show called "Harmony & Discord." ()  It will be up until June 16.
Helmut Lang made the leap from fashion designer to visual artist and his first New York show of new sculptures opens today from 6 to 8 p.m. at 24 Washington Square North.  It will stay up until June 15.

The Suzanne Geiss Company (76 Grand Street) opens Kristin Baker's "ILLUME-MINE" tonight from 6 to 8 p.m.

Creative Time's  annual benefit and auction starts at 7:30 p.m. tonight at Roseland Ballroom (240 West 53rd Street). Sheik 'n' Beik's Julio Santo Domingo DJs the afterparty.

Whitewall Magazine celebrates their China issue and the PULSE fair with a big party from 8 to 11 p.m. tonight in the Yard at the SoHo Grand Hotel (310 West Broadway).

Gavin Brown's enterprise (620 Greenwich Street) opens "Rock & Rap /c Simulacra" by Sturtevant  tonight from 6 to 8 p.m.

Artist/DJ Peter Makebish hosts the opening of his "Golf Sale" at Bowery & Third Street, 7 - 10 p.m.

Mike Weiss Gallery (520 West 24th Street) launches the inaugural exhibition of paintings by Belgian artist Jan De Vliegher, PLUS there's an afterparty starting around 9 p.m. at the Tribeca Grand (2 Sixth Avenue).

The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council (125 Maiden Lane, 14th floor) opens their workshop studios tonight from 7 to 9 p.m. The space will also be open on May 5 & 6.  All the details are here. Admission is free but you should RSVP.

The Israeli non-profit organization, ARTIS, is opening a rooftop pop-up shop today from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the same building housing NADA (548 West 22nd Street).  Look for limited-edition works by 20 leading Israeli artists, all at affordable prices. HERE are the details.


Saturday, May 5th



Tauba Auerbach has a new show, "Float," opening tonight from 6 to 8 p.m. at Paula Cooper Gallery (521 West 21st Street). It's up until June 9. (Above: Untitled (Fold) 2011 by Tauba Auerbach)

All of the galleries on West 26th Street (between 10th and 11th Avenues) in Chelsea get together to host a big block party and open house from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. this evening.  It's open to the public and there will be food trucks, DJs including Hannah Bronfman at 6 p.m. and Dreamshow at 8 p.m. PLUS lots of art. HERE are the details.

Loris Greaud opens his first show, "The Unplayed Notes," at Pace Gallery (534 West 25th Street) from 6 to 8 p.m. with two large-scale installations and a film.


AND DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE ART FAIRS!


WHAT: Frieze New York
WHERE: Randall's Island
WHEN: May 4 & 5, noon to 7 p.m.; May 6 & 7, noon to 6 p.m.
HOW MUCH? Tickets are $40 (various discounts may apply) and they must be purchased here in advance. (The price includes ferry or bus transportation. Ferries depart every 15 minutes from 35th Street East River ferry dock. Buses depart every 10 minutes from the 125th Street 4,5 & 6 subway station.)
DETAILS: This is the main event (assuming you don't count Sotheby's auction of Munch's "Scream" tomorrow). Over 180 worldwide galleries are expected to participate in the first New York edition of the popular London fair, founded by Amanda Sharp and Mathew Slotover in 2003.  The tent housing the fair was designed by Brooklyn architects SO-IL and look for pop-up restaurants from Fat Radish, Sant Ambroeus and Roberta's. Also, be sure to check out the series of special projects curated by Cecilia Alemani including works by John Ahearn and Tim Rollins and  KOS.



WHAT: NADA New York
WHERE: 548 West 22nd Street
WHEN: May 4, 2 - 8 p.m.; May 5, 11a.m. - 8 p.m.; May 6, 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.; May 7, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.
HOW MUCH? Admission is FREE.
DETAILS: Though the New Art Dealers Alliance has been around for ten years and holding fairs in Miami since 2003, this is their first fair in NYC. More than 60 local and international galleries will be exhibiting on three floors in Chelsea and more the half of the galleries have never taken part in a previous NADA fair.


WHAT: PULSE New York 2012
WHERE: The Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 West 18th Street
WHEN: May 3, noon - 8 p.m.; May 4, 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.; May 5, noon - 8 p.m.; May 6, noon - 5 p.m.
HOW MUCH? Tickets are $20.
DETAILS: Back for its seventh edition, PULSE will host over 60 galleries this year with works by undiscovered and emerging artists, as well as established.  This year's video lounge was curated by New York's Babycastles and David Ellis designed their tote bag.