Announcing Talks at Independent 20th Century

Independent 20th Century returns to Casa Cipriani at the Battery Maritime Building this September 4th–7th with a live program of talks presented in partnership with Puck. This series of complimentary events reflects the fair’s spirit of discovery and dialogue, bringing together leading voices from across the art world—including museum directors, artists, gallerists, curators, and critics. Program highlights include a special edition of Downtown Dealers moderated by Puck’s Art Correspondent Marion Maneker, a live recording of Artnet News’s The Art Angle podcast, and a panel on art world sustainability presented by Crozier, Independent 20th Century’s Logistics Partner. 

Independent 20th Century talks are free with admission to the fair; purchase tickets here.

 

 

Robert Storr and Emilia Kabakov in Conversation
Thursday, September 4th, 4PM

Held during the fair’s VIP Preview Day, this special in-conversation event will reflect on the profound artistic legacy of Ilya and Emilia Kabakov. Framed around their decades-long exploration of utopia, memory, and the fragile line between the personal and the universal, the discussion will revisit the artists’ iconic large-scale installations while considering their continued relevance today. Emilia will offer a rare perspective on the couple’s unique partnership and creative process in conversation with renowned art critic and curator Robert Storr. The discussion coincides with Galerie Brigitte Schenk’s presentation of Ilya and Emilia Kabakov’s works at Independent 20th Century.

Please register your interest here. Seating is limited.

 

Stewards of Legacy: Museum Directors’ Roundtable
Friday, September 5th, 3PM

What does it mean to lead an art museum in 2025? Four directors—Nora Lawrence (Storm King Art Center), James Steward (Princeton University Art Museum), Cybele Maylone (The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum), and Nicola Lees (Aspen Art Museum)—will share insights into how they are shaping the identity of their institutions through curatorial programs, artist commissions, and public engagement initiatives. Moderated by Puck’s Art Correspondent Marion Maneker, this roundtable discussion considers how museums can best showcase historical narratives while evolving to meet the needs of present audiences.

 

 

Downtown Dealers: Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn and Alma Luxembourg
Friday, September 5th, 5PM

Downtown Dealers, the live conversation series uniting influential art dealers across generations, continues with Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn, founder of Salon 94 in New York, and Alma Luxembourg, partner at Luxembourg + Co. in New York and London, moderated by Puck’s Art Correspondent Marion Maneker. Since 2002, Greenberg Rohatyn has expanded Salon 94’s original domestic setting into the current Museum Mile headquarters, championing a diverse roster of artists who cross the boundaries between visual art and design. Luxembourg played an instrumental role in opening her gallery’s London location on Savile Row in 2011. Luxembourg + Co. combines private sales of modern and contemporary art with a rigorously curated, museum-quality exhibition program.

 

 

Celebrating the Chicago Imagists
Saturday, September 6th, 2PM

This celebration of one of America’s most idiosyncratic postwar art movements brings together Tang Museum director Ian Berry with Chicago-based gallerists and curators John Corbett and Jim Dempsey. They will discuss their new book 3-D Doings: The Imagist Object in Chicago Art, which follows an exhibition of the same name at the Tang Museum. Bound by a shared interest in popular culture, comics, and material objects, the Imagists can be characterized as warm and wacky—a stark contrast to the cool detachment of their Pop contemporaries. This year the Tang celebrates 25 years of ground-breaking exhibitions and publications at Skidmore College. 3-D Doings continues the Tang’s award-winning publishing program with a 312-page book featuring inventive design by Barbara Glauber and one of the last oral histories with many of the artists. Founded in 2004, the gallery Corbett vs. Dempsey champions artists of critical significance to postwar Chicago, including core Imagists Ed Flood, Philip Hanson, Christina Ramberg, and Karl Wirsum.

 

 

Dancing with Calder: Nicol Allan’s Experiments in Collage
Saturday, September 6th, 3:30PM

Art historian and psychoanalyst Rye Dag Holmboe joins Yuval Etgar, the director of research and exhibitions at Luxembourg + Co., for a focused discussion on Nicol Allan (1931–2019), abstraction in collage, and its links to the work of Alexander Calder. An original yet overlooked figure, Allan developed a singular approach to abstraction through intimate, hand-dyed paper compositions, often invested in movement. Holmboe will reflect on the artist’s methods and legacy in dialogue with Etgar, a curator and art historian specializing in the history and theory of collage. The talk coincides with a duo presentation by Luxembourg + Co. pairing Allan’s collages with Calder’s standing mobiles.

 

 

A Live Recording of The Art Angle with Artnet News
Saturday, September 6th, 5PM

Join Artnet News for a special live recording of The Art Angle, the publication’s acclaimed weekly podcast. This spotlight edition of The Round-Up—a monthly conversation on the biggest stories shaping the art world—features national art critic Ben Davis and senior editor Kate Brown in conversation with Matthew Higgs, Independent’s founding curatorial advisor and the director and chief curator of White Columns. Together, they will unpack how a new generation of galleries is reshaping 20th-century art history—alongside other provocative shifts transforming the industry today.

 

 

Immersion and Form: The Expansive World of Judy Pfaff
Sunday, September 7th, 2PM

Known for her dynamic, site-specific installations that fuse painting, assemblage, and architecture, Judy Pfaff joins her friend Joe Fig for a wide-ranging conversation about their respective creative practices. As an artist and author, Fig’s work interrogates the role of the artist, the creative process, and the self-made universe of the artist’s studio. Coinciding with Cristin Tierney Gallery’s solo presentation of Pfaff’s historic works at Independent 20th Century, this talk will cover everything from welding to neon to gardening, from studio pets to the unpredictable realities of collaboration. 

 

 

Building a Greener Art World
Sunday, September 7th, 4PM

What role can the art world play in addressing the climate crisis—and who is driving meaningful change? Moderated by James Hendy, General Manager at Crozier, this discussion brings together expert speakers from contemporary art, activism, and decarbonization to tackle the future of sustainability in the culture sector. Annabel Keenan, journalist and author of Climate Action in the Art World: Towards a Greener Future, reflects on the industry’s progress to date and the next steps in system-wide change. Artist Robin F. Williams is a founding member of the Artists Commit collective, advocating for climate-conscious practices across galleries and institutions. Joining them is Pawel Woelke, senior principal at engineering consultancy Thornton Tomasetti, who leads the firm’s climate action programs with a focus on decarbonization. 

 

Independent talks are complimentary with your booking to the fair; purchase fair tickets here.

Fair Location:
Casa Cipriani at the Battery Maritime Building
10 South Street
New York, NY 10004

Fair Dates:
September 4–7, 2025

Fair Hours:
Thursday, September 4: 11 AM – 8 PM (By Invitation), 5 PM – 8 PM (Vernissage)
Friday, September 5: 11 AM – 7 PM
Saturday, September 6: 11 AM – 7 PM
Sunday, September 7: 11 AM – 6 PM

 

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Independent’s audience can enjoy 25% off Puck’s yearly subscriptions by using the discount code “independent25” at puck.news/join for a limited time only.