Thursday’s press and VIP preview were well attended.
Review & Onsite Photos by Andrea Valluzzo
NEW YORK CITY — The Outsider Art Fair (OAF)returned to the Metropolitan Pavilion for its 34th edition. Now under new leadership with director Elizabeth Denny, the fair added a series of talks and live performances. The fair’s quality and breadth of material remains a constant though, with dealers from all over the United States and as far as London, France and Japan bringing notable and appealing artworks.
As the popularity of Outsider Art increases, attendance at the fair has continued to surge, and this year’s edition set a new watermark. Of the 68 dealers showing, 13 were first-timers.
Fair owner Andrew Edlin has long been a supporter of self-taught and Outsider Art. His gallery at the fair showed portraits by Nicole Appel, several artworks by the late evangelical speaker/painter Abraham Lincoln Walker and a large-scale Art Brut piece by Aloïse Corbaz that took up most of the back wall. He said the nature of the fair’s material — highly personal art created by artists for their own need rather than for audiences — is highly relatable and thus becomes universal. “Our exhibitors did extremely well, the ultimate barometer of a successful fair,” he added.
From left, an untitled oil on canvas by Abraham Lincoln Walker, “Standing Woman” by William Edmondson and an untitled graphite drawing by Martin Ramirez at Andrew Edlin Gallery, New York City.
Denny said that the public’s appetite for Outsider and self-taught art is still growing, and shared, “OAF is known for pushing boundaries and we certainly demonstrated that again this year.”
Papier-mâché works by Pamela Smith were on offer with Northern Daughters. Dealer Sophie Pickens noted this was their third year at the fair. “We feel so lucky to be able to participate. The show is just wonderful — the people, the energy and (of course) the art! There is nothing better than folks walking into the booth and their faces lighting up with joy as they discover Pamela’s pieces,” she remarked.
Veteran exhibitor Lindsay Gallery (Columbus, Ohio) has done the show about 20 times and this year saw robust results. “We sold work by some of the most sought-after Outsider artists: William Hawkins, Elijah Pierce and Sam Doyle, to name a few,” reported dealer Duff Lindsay. “I have never seen a crowd this big at OAF! I’m sure it was the biggest in the history of the show. I also spoke to many people who seemed to be relatively new to the genre and were anxious to learn. They were more likely to buy lesser known artists like Nancy Josephson, Ashley Pierce, Harry Underwood and Ricky Barnes.”
Papier-mâché works by Pamela Smith were on offer by Northern Daughters, Bristol, Vt.
Lindsay also said he was happy to see so many galleries that were in the show for the first time. “Some of them showed really interesting work, and I’m sure we will see them back next year,” he added.
Steven S. Powers and Joshua Lowenfels also said they did very well. “The show was busy from the first minute to the last!” Powers shared. “We sold from each wall, each day of the fair, selling works by Lee Brozgol, Robert Witz, Nellie Mae Rowe, Jon Serl, Ryder Henry, Rev. Joel Hewlett, Pietro Ghizzardi, Sister Gertrude Morgan, a group of works by ‘A. Dill’ and several anonymous works. Either Josh or I have been doing the show for over ten years.”
Jennifer Lauren Gallery has been at the fair the last eight years, but gallerist Jennifer Lauren Gilbert noted this year’s fair “was absolutely bustling on Friday and Saturday, with more people than I’ve ever seen.” She told us she enjoys having her booth usually in the same place year after year so audiences immediately recognize it. She again showed Japanese artist Shinichi Sawada, who is known for his wood-fired ceramic works, but for the first time she also had available his small paper cars and intricate collages. All sold at the fair, inspiring audiences in how they were made, she said. “Such beautiful and honest conversations happen at this fair with audiences always appreciative of the array of works you get to see across the fair. The small folded leaf sculptures of Yoshihiro Watanabe also never fail to intrigue people, especially when they realize it is a Japanese oak leaf and not paper!”
Jennifer Lauren Gallery, Manchester, UK.
Gagné Contemporary, Toronto, Canada, has been in operation for ten years now, having started in New York around 2016 as a nomadic curatorial practice, programming shows in Brooklyn and New York City galleries. In 2020, John Gagné moved back to Toronto and has since opened up two galleries there. “The Outsider Art Fair 2026 was our first venture as an exhibitor at an art fair and, as such, was a big leap for us. And truly an honor to be doing so back in New York City,” he shared. “We presented a solo booth of the Toronto self-taught artist and underground street legend Rocky Dobey. I felt it was the right artist for the right fair, and worth the risk and effort. It paid off very well. We sold a number of larger pieces and several smaller works.”
Gagné continued, “The artist is an iron worker by trade, and his work is primarily on metal — copper, zinc, bronze and steel.” He noted that Dobey’s work resonated with audiences at the fair, as he produces “Highly detailed etching and inking, handmade frames, with works filled with imagery from his ongoing journey. Fierce buildings and architecture, trade union symbols, hammers and anvils figure prominently, as do scenes from mythology, history and the current political climate globally. He also produces intaglio prints from his copper etching practice, of which we sold a number of smaller works on paper.”
“Based on our modest success, we intend to come back next year,” Gagné added. “We learned a lot from this experience, particularly in areas of booth presentation, pricing and promotion. The community at the fair is tight and supportive. We could not have asked for a better maiden voyage.”
Galerie Kahn, Ars-en-Re, France, offered this mixed media work by Anne Marie Grgich.
Galerie Kahn, Ars-en-Ré, France, made its sophomore showing at the fair and saw strong results with very high visitor numbers and new customers. Sales included works by the Indian artist Kashinath Chawan and African artist Frédéric Bruly Bouabré from the Ivory Coast, who had had an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art, New York City, four years ago.
Dylan Everett, gallery director at James Barron Art, said this was the busiest he has ever seen at the fair, and they have been showing in it since 2017. The gallerists sold multiple works by Janet Sobel, who was doing drip painting before Jackson Pollock; a large group of work by Italian artist Vera Girivi; and paintings by Ohio artist Mike Ousley.
There was much to see at the fair, from works by some of the most famous and desirable names in Outsider Art to newer and emerging artists. An untitled William Edmondson limestone carving was in the booth of Fleisher/Ollman Gallery (Philadelphia), for example, while Elza Kayal Gallery (New York City) offered works by Romanian-Hungarian painter, illustrator and graphic designer Klára Lakatos (b 1968). FolkArtwork Collective (Des Moines, Iowa)showcased several works by Reneesha McCoy, including the acrylic paintings “House of Birds” and “Coop.”
Animal paintings, using gloss enamel on Masonite, by Emitte Hyche were featured at Pardee Collection, Iowa City, Iowa.
An exhibitor since 1995, The Pardee Collection (Iowa City, Iowa) reported having a good show. Dealer Sherry Pardee said she had an excellent show with much excitement, a great turnout and strong sales. “As always, I had a lot of interest in the large animal paintings by African American artist Emitte Hych (1908-2008),” she said. “People are drawn to the vibrant colors and graphic bold images and the joyous spirit they feel from his work.”
While the majority of booths had plain white walls, a few exhibitors put their artistic bent to good use. Creativity Explored (San Francisco), for example, had Sterling Graphics (San Francisco) design a city-like environment all over its booth walls using vinyl graphics. Inset in some of the buildings’ windows were artworks for pops of color. Sage Studio featured works by Austin, Texas, artist Montrel Beverly within its booth’s deep blue-clad walls, lending a homey texture befitting a dining tableau set up. The artist was on hand during preview waving at and taking photos with show visitors.
Recreating the bursting creativity of California artist Jon Serl’s home studio, Shrine, a New York City gallery, put together a colorful and wallpaper-like booth that included one of the artist’s own easels along with his kitchen door, on which the artist had handwritten notations.
The show will return next March for its 35th edition. For information, www.outsiderartfair.com or 212-337-3338.
