Almost everything was sold before he even arrived at Art Fair Tokyo, but that didn't stop gallerist Peter Nagy from coming to Japan anyway. The impulse to dip his toes into what could become contemporary art's next deep pool was just too strong to resist, so three large canvases by artists Thukral & Tagra from his hot Indian gallery, Nature Morte, made the journey with him.
By all reports, for those galleries that did make the trip with art to sell, it was well worth their time. The majority of overseas exhibitors at the new international 101TOKYO Contemporary Art Fair — from places such as Hong Kong, New York and South Africa — joined many Japanese counterparts in selling out their artists' works.
With two major fairs, two major auctions and ample additional events such as the Shin Marunouchi Building's New Tokyo Contemporaries exhibit and Art Award Tokyo, the metropolis was teeming with artists, gallerists and collectors from all over the globe. The buzz was palpable at the busy start of Art Fair Tokyo and the theatrical opening of 101TOKYO, with the smell of money, perfume and fresh paint mingling in the air.