The Freshmen: Four Art Basel Miami First-Timers to Know

Becky Kolsrud's "Eyes with Security Gate," 2016. Photograph by Coley Brown; courtesy of the artist and JTT, New York

JTT, New York

When speaking about the relative costs of art fairs, JTT owner Jasmin Tsou echoes Moravec’s holistic outlook. “Sales and collector meetings aren’t the only goals. Fairs are a great time for younger dealers to communicate with more established dealers,” Tsou says. “I feel accomplished when I get a young artist under the nose of a really great dealer, either in Europe or California.”

Context is paramount to Tsou’s long-term strategy. A veteran of NADA, the simultaneous satellite, Tsou acknowledges that her decision to apply to ABMB was driven by her artists rather than by finance. “As a dealer, I have always received a lot of support at NADA, and I’d like to stay,” she says. “But at the same time, it’s important to give your artists the opportunity to show in fairs like Basel because that puts them in conversation with huge artists.”

This year, Tsou is championing the work of the figurative painter Becky Kolsrud at JTT’s Positions booth. “Becky is looking at people like Sigmar Polke and Martin Wong,” Tsou explains. “It felt fair to bring her to a context that would acknowledge those more traditional influences.” As a painting-driven show, Tsou won’t have to worry about exorbitant shipping costs. “In the past, I’ve brought really unwieldy sculptures,” the young gallerist admits. “I still have fairs I’m paying for in terms of shipping.”