Art Fair Finds New Home on 60th Birthday

The Independent art fair is celebrating its 60th anniversary by establishing a presence at the historic Breuer building. This venue, designed by Marcel Breuer and opened in 1966, has previously housed institutions like the Whitney Museum, the Met, and the Frick Collection.

This season, Independent aims to offer a more curated and less daunting experience, featuring works from over 130 artists. The fair's new home provides a distinguished backdrop with its modernist architecture, softening the intensity of viewing numerous art pieces. Several galleries are presenting solo or focused exhibitions, offering a museum-like experience in miniature.

The fair acknowledges its location by featuring a section called 're-enacting the Breuer,' showcasing artists whose work was previously displayed there, such as Al Held and Eleanor Antin. Other presentations honor artists like Lucio Fontana and Andy Warhol, who also had significant retrospectives in the building.

A notable segment focuses on early non-objective art, including works by Wassily Kandinsky and Hilla Rebay, alongside contemporary artists exploring abstraction. The fair also highlights lesser-known artists, including Frank Diaz Escalet, Colombian geometric abstractionists Édgar Negret and Omar Rayo, and British Black Arts Movement pioneer Rita Keegan, who utilized photocopiers as an artistic tool.