Editors’ Picks: 9 Great Art and Design Events This Week

Here are Galerie’s picks of the must-see art and design events in New York this week, from Mark Manders’s colossal new installation in Central Park to the 25th anniversary edition of the city’s famed Armory Show.

1. Mark Manders: Tilted Head
Doris C. Freedman Plaza

A colossally scaled human head recalling the form of an idealized renaissance sculpture will go on display at the entrance to Central Park this week, displayed in a position of repose, somewhat resembling Constantin Brancusi’s Sleeping Muse sculptures. The installation, organized by the Public Art Fund, will remain on view through the summer. Don’t miss Manders’s work on view at Tanya Bonakdar at the Armory Show this week.

Where: Doris C. Freedman Plaza, Lenox Hill (Central Park southeast entrance)

When: March 6–September 1

2. Jean-Michel Basquiat
The Brant Foundation

Inaugurating the Brant Foundation’s new East Village space is an incredible show of works by a painter with close ties to the neighborhood: Jean-Michel Basquiat. “Basquiat has been a cornerstone of the East Village art scene for decades, and to bring his work back to the neighborhood that inspired it is a great privilege,” Peter M. Brand has said. His foundation’s new metropolitan outpost, which is situated in a historic building, is worth exploring: Newly renovated by Gluckman Tang Architects, it includes two new gardens and a landscaped roof terrace. Reserve your tickets here.

Where: Brant Foundation, 421 East 6th Street

When: March 6–May 15

Peter Sacks, Township. Mixed media. Photo: Marlborough Gallery, New York

3. Peter Sacks: Recent Works
Marlborough Gallery

Making use of clothing fragments from a diverse array of countries pasted alongside burlap, lace, cardboard, and typed text, Sacks’s highly tactile collages unite elements of human worlds and cultures. This is the gallery’s second time hosting a solo exhibition of the South African artist.

Where: Marlborough Gallery, 40 West 57th Street

When: Opening reception: Wednesday, March 6, 6–8 p.m. On view through March 30

4. Spring/Break Art Show
United Nations Plaza

Each year, Spring/Break takes over a different atypical or historic New York City space to challenge conventions of the art-market landscape. Held at 866 United Nations Plaza, this year’s edition of the fair will follow the theme “Fact and Fiction.”

Where: 866 United Nations Plaza at 48th Street and 1st Avenue

When: March 6–11

Recommended: Derrick Adams Goes Back to the Future at Luxembourg & Dayan

5. Gretchen Bender: So Much Deathless
Red Bull Arts

This first posthumous retrospective of the multidisciplinary artist who collaborated with Robert Longo, Cindy Sherman, and various choreographers and musicians opens at Red Bull Arts. “Gretchen Bender was one of the most radical, and perhaps the least known, artists of her generation,” said Cay Sophie Rabinowitz, representative of the Gretchen Bender Estate, in a statement. This retrospective, the first in nearly 30 years, presents Bender’s oeuvre as a whole.

Where: Red Bull Arts New York, 220 West 18th Street

When: Opening reception: Wednesday, March 6, 12–7 p.m.

The Armory Party at MoMA. Photo: Museum of Modern Art

6. The Armory Party 2019
Museum of Modern Art

Musician Anna of the North and DJ Heron Preston headline this party celebrating the opening of the Armory Show and the citywide Armory Arts Week. Party tickets include select admission to the Armory Show.

Where: Museum of Modern Art, 11 West 53rd Street

When: Wednesday, March 6, 8 p.m.–12:30 a.m.

7. The Armory Show
Piers 90, 92, and 94

New York City’s premier art fair celebrates 25 years since its beginnings at the Gramercy Park Hotel. A few highlights this year include a special 25th anniversary section and a mesmerizing light installation by Leo Villareal, along with booths by almost 200 global exhibitors.

Where: 12th Avenue at 55th Street, Piers 90, 92, and 94

When: March 7–10

Installation view of Sarah Charlesworth at Paula Cooper Gallery, New York. Photo: Paula Cooper Gallery, New York

8. Panel Discussion: Sarah Charlesworth
Paula Cooper Gallery

On the occasion of a solo exhibition of work by the late conceptual photographer, the gallery will hold a panel discussion between Guggenheim senior curator of photography Jennifer Blessing, New Museum curator Margot Norton, and artist James Welling.

Where: Paula Cooper Gallery, 524 West 26th Street

When: Thursday, March 7, 5 p.m.

9. Independent Art Fair
Spring Studios

The invitation-only fair that’s been called “a breath of fresh air” by The Art newspaper returns for its tenth year in the city, attracting fresh talent to Tribeca from all over the world.

Where: Spring Studios, 50 Verick Street

When: March 8–10