The Society of Memorial Sloan Kettering hosted the opening night of TEFAF, Europe's most prestigious art fair, Friday night at the Park Avenue Armory. Generously sponsored by Elle Decor and Fendi, Friday marked TEFAF's New York City debut. Collectors were thrilled with both the presentation of the fair, elegantly designed by Tom Postma, and the quality of the art, furniture and jewelry. Proceeds from the evening will go towards MSKCC's patient care, education and research programs.
"TEFAF raises the level of all the fairs," said Elle Decor Editor-In-Chief Michael Boodro, the evening's Design Committee Chair. "New York has the best collectors, and we can't all get to Maastricht, so it's wonderful to have it come to us. The diversity of the fair is unusual for New York. It's inspiring for a lot of designers and artists. We're thrilled to support TEFAF. We've been wanting this to happen for a long time."
Collectors agreed: word around the fair was that the offerings at TEFAF were superior to the traditional, and now defunct, fall Antiques Show, with a stellar list of exhibitors, including Didier Aaron, Veronique Bamps, Colnaghi, De Jonckheere, Galerie Perrin, and Axel Vervoordt. Contemporary jewelers Reza and Wallace Chan joined the more traditional S. J. Shrubsole and A La Vieille Russie.
"Bringing together art, antiques and jewelry in New York in this way is unseen," said acclaimed portrait photographer Claiborne Swanson Frank, who chaired the evening along with Cynthia Frank, Veronica Swanson Beard, Caryn Zucker, and Kamie Lightburn. "The venue is exquisitely lit up, with flowers cascading from the ceiling and an insane showing of quality pieces that blows my mind. The paintings, antiques and furniture are all offering me inspiration. I like to style my work - it's about the marriage of location, furniture, wardrobe and the woman. If I could use any of these pieces of furniture as props, or any of these works of art as backdrops, I would be so lucky--but it's a pipe dream because it's never going to happen."
Guests, including Ronald Lauder, Hilary and Wilbur Ross, Alexia Ryan, Rachel and Ara Hovnanian, Danielle Ganek, Alex Papachristidis, George Farias, Peter and Jamee Gregory, Emilia Fanjul Pfeifler, Carlos Souza, Rachel Hovnanian, and Lavinia Branca Snyder marveled at the galleries installed upstairs in the rarely seen second-floor period rooms of the Armory's Wade Thompson drill hall, with the original moldings and wrought iron flourishes intact. All were conscious their contributions were being used to help find a cure for cancer.
"TEFAF offers the best art and antiques, and the collectors who support MSK have the same passion for collecting as they do about supporting the Society," said Zucker. "It's the perfect pairing of the best, the brightest and the most interesting in New York, in both art and medicine."
