I was excited to be selected by New American Paintings to provide photo coverage of the NYC art fairs this year. Though it was a whirlwind as always, the fairs were excellent on the whole. The shows felt a bit more introspective than in previous years, perhaps due to recent economic woes. In some ways, this was a nice break from the “look at me” aesthetic that seemed to dominate previous fairs. Glitz and bling were replaced by lots of framed work on paper, paintings on canvas and plenty of work that had more depth than the pervasive one-liners I’d seen at some of the fairs. Don’t get me wrong, Scope was still awfully slick with lots of reflective surfaces and plenty of images of guns and money, but the zeitgeist of the fair scene seemed more thoughtful and considered when taken altogether. Perhaps the anticipation of big bucks has given way to a more grounded sensibility rooted in the search for meaning beyond the almighty dollar. One can only hope.

Day 1 – Armory and Scope:
http://newamericanpaintings.wordpress.com/2012/03/10/scope-art-fair-joshua-field-checks-in/

Day 2 – Volta, Independent and Fountain
http://newamericanpaintings.wordpress.com/2012/03/11/fountain-volta-independent/