The Art Show Celebrates 36th Year at the Park Avenue Armory
By Barbara Kancelbaum
The Art Show 2024 Benefit Preview, Henry Street Settlement’s largest annual fundraiser, opened on Tuesday, October 29, welcoming more than 2,300 philanthropists, influencers, long-time Settlement supporters, and Henry Street Board and team members to the elegant Park Avenue Armory.
Organized by the Art Dealers Association of America, The Art Show is Henry Street’s greatest source of unrestricted support, providing vital funds to the organization’s social service, arts, and health care programs. This year’s show is the 36th edition of Henry Street’s philanthropic collaboration with the ADAA.
Outgoing ADAA Executive Director Maureen Bray, ADAA President Anthony Meier, Henry Street CEO David Garza, and ADAA Executive Director Kinsey Robb
The Benefit Preview allows guests to experience one of the nation’s longest running and most important art shows before doors open to the general public on October 30, running through November 2. The event promotes an atmosphere of close looking and one-on-one conversations with dealers and artists.
Henry Street Board Members Michael Wolkowitz, Ed Pallesen, Gary Posternack, Pilar Crespi-Robert, CEO David Garza, Jeffrey Tucker, Catherine Curley Lee, Dale Jones Burch, and Neil Suslak
Left: Ellen Schneiderman, Susan Sheehan, David Garza, Mary Ryan. Right: Henry Street Board Member Matthew Slavin with Elan Slavin.
The festive celebration at the nexus of art and philanthropy, produced with support from lead partner AXA XL, a division of AXA Group, has raised more than $1 million in unrestricted support for Henry Street’s programs through ticket sales and a silent auction, bringing the total cumulative funds raised by The Art Show since 1989 to more than $38 million.
Two extraordinary sculptural works donated by The Haas Brothers are being auctioned at the Christie’s Design Sale in December to support Henry Street. They will be on display throughout the show.
Henry Street’s Abrons Arts Center Team: Nadia Misir, Anzia Anderson, Jamel Mims
A series of public programs will take place during The Art Show. In addition, this year, Henry Street’s Abrons Arts Center, in conjunction with The Art Show, will present the exhibition Long Walk from the F Train, a 40-year retrospective of AIRspace Artists Residency participants, opening November 1 with a reception from 6 to 8 p.m. at 466 Grand Street.
Said ADAA Executive Director Kinsey Robb, “While I’ve been a longtime fan and attendee of The Art Show, this year is extra special as it has effectively kicked off my tenure as executive director of the ADAA. It has been an absolute joy to welcome all of our members and the fabulous collectors, museum directors, artists, curators, and philanthropists who make the fair a not-to-be-missed event each season. Our exhibiting members and their stellar presentations never fail to underscore what makes The Art Show unique amongst the fair landscape and enable us to continue to support Henry Street Settlement each year.”
Left: Collector Beth Rudin DeWoody and Studio Museum Director Thelma Golden. Center: Chris Wink and Stephanie Gregory. Right: Michelle Carpenter and Kate Rogal.
Benefit Preview guests enjoyed displays by 75 ADAA member galleries, including 43 booths devoted to solo exhibitions including visionary female artists, such as a showcase of rarely and never-before-exhibited photographic works by Tina Barney (Kasmin), a series of works reflecting Martha Jackson Jarvis’s exploration of spiritual and ecological concerns (Susan Inglett Gallery), and cast-bronze and gilded sculptures of found embroideries by New York-based Jessie Henson (Anthony Meier).
Left: Souleo, Debi Wisch, and Beau McCall. Right: Julia Ayasere, MD, senior vice president of health justice and equity at NewYork-Presbyterian and executive director of the Dalio Center for Health Justice, and Amelia Shapiro, vice president, Dalia Center for Health Justice.
An new feature this year, “Spotlight On…” showcased galleries and artists from Houston, including new paintings by Ana Villagomez (Josh Pazda Hiram Butler) that draw from the landscapes of the artist’s upbringing in Houston and Mexico and recent works by David McGee (Inman Gallery), a Houston resident for over 40 years, which fluidly move between abstraction and figuration to blend art history, literature, and pop culture.
While perusing the installations, guests enjoyed delicious appetizers catered by Canard, Inc., including smoked-salmon-topped potato chips, lettuce cups with mushrooms and root vegetables, mini-mac & cheese squares, grilled flatbread, roasted rib-eye steak, and dim sum dumplings.
“Over the past 36 years, The Art Show has been consistently instrumental in supporting Henry Street’s sustained excellence and agility,” said Henry Street Settlement President & CEO David Garza, “enabling us to expand and initiate new services to help those in our community who face profound challenges. Unrestricted funding made possible by The Art Show allows us to directly address the need for employment and educational opportunity, to support new migrants and community mental health, to care for our older neighbors and youth, and to ensure access to the arts for all. I am so proud of our long-term collaboration with ADAA.”
Left: Deanna Sorge and Tarik French. Right: Henry Street Education Team.
Left: Huy Long, Gia Kuan, Blake Abbie. Right: Michael Leeyow, Matthew Phifer, Latiqua Washington, Chad Franklin.
Henry Street is deeply indebted to lead partner AXA XL; lead sponsor Renate, Hans, and Maria Hofmann Trust; sponsors A&O Shearman, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Glenview Capital Management, Midway Investors LLC, NewYork-Presbyterian, and Ropes & Gray LLP; Diamond Circle members Mitzi & Warren Eisenberg, Agnes Gund, Henry Street Board Members Ian Highet & Lea Highet, Board Co-Chair Catherine Curley Lee & Brian Lee, and Board Member Pilar Crespi Robert & Stephen Robert; Platinum Circle members Jill Blickstein, Dale & Robert Burch, Jamie & Jeffrey Harris, Katherine Farley & Jerry I. Speyer, Roy M. Korins & Gillian Zackham, Gary & Iris Posternack, and Stanley S. Shuman Family Foundation; and Benefit Preview Partners: JPMorgan Chase & Co., Trinity Church Wall Street, and Sidley Austin LLP; as well as thousands of other supporters at The Art Show.
Co-chairs for the event were Mitzi & Warren Eisenberg, Ian & Lea Highet, Janine & J. Tomilson Hill, Pilar Crespi Robert & Stephen Robert, Katherine Farley & Jerry I. Speyer, and Anita Wien.
The Art Show, established in 1989, is the nation’s most respected and longest-running art fair, featuring museum-quality exhibitions of Impressionist, Modern, and Contemporary works. It is open to the public from Wednesday, October 30, to Saturday, November 2, 2024; Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, noon to 7 p.m., and Saturday, noon to 6 p.m. Admission is $30. All daily admission tickets directly benefit Henry Street and are available electronically here or at the Armory; discounts for students, and children under 12 are free. Located at 643 Park Avenue at 67th Street.
