Design merchants set the tone for Tefaf New York

“Tefaf New York is quite different from Tefaf Maastricht,” says furniture dealer Stéphane Danant of French design gallery Demisch Danant. His stand has been presented at both editions of the fair since 2015 and he sits on the design gallery selection committee at dutch edition. “At the New York fair, because we are confined, it is a question of having a beautiful presentation on the floor and on the walls,” he explains.

The average stand size of 60 square meters enjoyed by Tefaf Maastricht’s 270 galleries is double that of this year’s New York fair, which takes place in the historic Park Avenue Armory. The 90 galleries of Tefaf New York (May 11-16) have about 30 m² each on average. This is particularly difficult for the fair’s 15 design-focused galleries, whose directors must deliberate over every square inch, as furniture and objects, as opposed to two-dimensional art on the walls, fill the space far more. quickly. “We bring the best of the best for the room, while most retailers bring the same for the walls,” says UK retailer Adrian Sassoon.

“In Maastricht, you have a little more space to play, while in New York, each gallery has to bring its best”, explains Will Korner, Tefaf’s fairs manager. “Resellers also generally focus on fewer artists.”

Each team takes a different approach. For Danant, an art fair that values ​​craftsmanship and design is the perfect opportunity to combine its post-war French furniture with historic art on the walls – this year, five large sculptural pieces by Paris-based American textile artist Sheila Hicks – thus appealing to a wider range of collectors.

“You are side by side with masterpieces from the 16th to the 21st century,” says Marc Benda of Friedman Benda of an exhibition at Tefaf. He thinks it’s important to have design objects that can dialogue with art at this level.

Tefaf is also presenting a contingent of design dealers this year who, instead of sourcing modern or historical objects, have opted to create contemporary works at the fair. The mega-gallery of design carpenters workshop commissioned a one-of-a-kind centerpiece for their booth that is sure to draw a crowd.

Showstoppers and Grasshoppers

“We have been working on it for two years in our studio,” explains Loïc Le Gaillard, associate of the gallery, about the finely gilded cabinet created by the Franco-Swedish bronze artist Ingrid Donat. “That’s the magic of Tefaf New York – people come up with an incredibly strong object that’s going to be a complete show.” Priced at $850,000, the large bronze Dresser Skarabee (2023) is sure to turn heads. For Le Gaillard, an object with this level of craftsmanship is simply art. “We don’t distinguish between art, design, function and form, so we absolutely belong to those dealers,” he says.

He adds that, even at the highest price points, the gallery has been little affected by the pandemic and the associated economic downturn. It’s a sentiment shared by other design merchants. “It was business as usual,” Danant said.

However, design dealers have noted a shift from contemporary objects to those of provenance. “Younger generations are increasingly in the element of history,” says Danant.

For Benda, what’s most evident since the pandemic is that customers are looking for aesthetically pleasing objects that are also functional. “People want the comfort of seating and the use of tables rather than something they can just look at,” he says.

There’s a lot of buzz around gallerist Kamel Mennour and designer Jacques Granges teaming up to show off an object that combines form, function and storytelling.

They present a creation recently rediscovered around 1974 by the late sculptor François-Xavier Lalanne: a two-meter-long bronze drinks cellar and a grasshopper-shaped bar. Only two other editions of the play are known, one of which belonged to the late Queen Elizabeth II. Given the recent market frenzy around Lalanne’s work, it probably won’t take long for a collector to buy the bar.

• Tefaf New YorkMay 11-16, Park Avenue Armory, New York