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At Independent 20th Century, the Biggest Draw Is the Rediscoveries

Held for the first time in the Breuer Building, the fair offers a more curated, less overwhelming alternative to the mega fairs. This year, several presentations focus on overlooked women artists working at the intersection of mysticism, healing and spirituality—part of a broader curatorial trend toward reframing modernism.

Since this fair’s conception, founder Elizabeth Dee has carefully considered its potential impact, asking first and foremost whether New York even needed another fair. And if the answer was yes, what type and where? The first edition of Independent 20th Century at the iconic Breuer Building, now Sotheby’s headquarters, feels thoughtfully and purposefully curated despite the number of exhibitors increasing 50 percent to a total of 54. The result is a focused and reasonably paced unfolding of narratives across four floors that invites new readings of the art of the 20th Century and the society it reflected.

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The Brutalist architecture of the Breuer, which has housed several museums, could hardly have been a better setting for the series of discoveries and rediscoveries the fair offers this year. For art economist Magnus Resch, the lack of booth signs brought a particular sense of equality to the event. “You stop focusing on gallery names and start focusing on the art,” he told Observer, describing Independent and the Breuer as a “perfect match.”

“I thought this year’s Independent was particularly strong,” said art advisor Angelica Sammelbauer when Observer asked for her thoughts at the close of the opening day. She pointed to the quality and depth of the gallery presentations, which she found intellectually engaging without feeling overly academic. “There was,” she added, “a real sense of discovery.” Notably, advisor Maria Brito took her clients to Independent first this year. “It is a very curated art fair with some hits and some misses,” she commented when Observer ran into her later at The Armory Show, noting that there are also a lot of fillers and works that looked extremely dated, but that the overall experience leaves plenty of space for discoveries.

“Independent was such a pleasant surprise,” advisor Adam Green echoed, reporting that several galleries mentioned they were inspired by the opportunity to show in the Breuer building. “As a visitor, being back in the Breuer was nostalgic, and the fair’s focused approach was a refreshing change of pace from the mega fairs we’ve grown accustomed to.” The setting was certainly a draw—the aisles buzzed throughout the day.

Starting on the fifth floor, Michael Hoppen Gallery is presenting “Out of Chaos: Paper From the Floor of Francis Bacon’s Studio,” a selection of rare photographs and archival material of Francis Bacon from the personal collection of founder Michael Hoppen. Much of the material comes directly from Bacon’s 7 Reece Mews studio in South Kensington, where he lived and worked from 1961 until his death in 1992 and which was notably covered in layers of photographs, books, newspapers, discarded canvases and painting materials. “We wanted to present it in a photography context,” a representative explained, noting how all the materials illuminate important aspects of the artist’s practice and the psychology behind it.

Bernard Goldberg Fine Arts LLC is showing the bucolic landscapes and joyful views of early 20th-century urban life in the watercolors and embroideries of Marguerite Zorach, showcasing her work alongside that of her better-known husband, modernist sculptor William Zorach. Some of the watercolors were donated to the Museum of Modern Art in 1935 and remained part of the collection until 2010, when the gallery purchased them. A few of her smaller works sold by the afternoon.

Hollis Taggart has........

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