May 2025 City Notes

CITY NOTES CURATED BY PATRICIA GREENE ISEN

May Mother's Guide 2025 Welcome to May!  Taurean Season & Mother's Day! This years Mother's Day edition is a bit different....... There's so much happening that I included gifts for Mother's as well as wonderful experiences you can share with your Mother (or friend) I have included some of the Art Fairs.... I LOVE going to these fairs . Its so interesting to see whats happening in the market, not to mention great people watching! There are also quite a few New Art Openings.....Rashid, Amy Sherald, Lorna Simpson and others........don't miss these.Please note the museums are trying to offer days and times that are free to visitors which is fantastic! I also want to highlight my good friend Henry Tisch who I have known since the day he was born has produced  the play , The Picture of Dorian Gray. This has been getting rave reviews! They just extended the the engagement for a bit longer. Don't miss this!!!!! I am so thrilled for Henry!  I included four sections for Mother's day Gifts that all relate to the Garden......Garden tools, Garden Furniture, Garden Clothing and there is a special section devoted to my good friend " Bad Ass Honey". Helene has started to create these insanely beautiful pressed flower collages. You are going to love them! lastly , for Mother's Day gift I included a little section on wellness.  Have fun! Enjoy!   Enjoy the month! Be Kind! Be safe!   Much Love to you & your families,   xoxoxoxox   Patty P.S I'm going to take June off.......Ill see you again on July 1st.

Art Fairs

Frieze Art Fair The Shed 545 West 30th Street, between 10th and 11th Avenues. Frieze May 7-11, 2025 Wednesday Preview, May 7 (invitation only): 11am – 7pm Thursday Preview, May 8: (Members and invitation only preview 11am – 1pm) 1pm – 7pm general admission tickets Friday, May 9: 11am – 7pm  Saturday, May 10: 11am – 7pm Sunday, May 11: 11am – 5pm Frieze New York is a leading international art fair that launched in 2012. Christine Messineo is the Director of Frieze New York and Frieze Los Angeles. Frieze New York brings together the world’s leading galleries to showcase ambitious solo, group and themed presentations by pioneering artists and offers the opportunity to not only discover up-and-coming talent but also engage with some of art history’s most important figures.

I -54 Art Fair Halo, 28 Liberty Street 1-54 Art Fair 8–11 May 2025 VIP preview⁠: Thursday 8 May Public opening⁠: 9 – 11 May This fair features a curated selection of galleries presenting contemporary works by both emerging and established artists from Africa and its diaspora. As always, 1-54 will collaborate with leading institutions to offer tailored programming.

Independent Art Fair Spring Studios 50 Varick Street Independent Art Fair May 8–11, 2025 Fair Hours Thursday, May 8: 11AM – 8PM (By Invitation) Friday, May 9: 11AM – 7PM Saturday, May 10: 11AM – 7PM Sunday, May 11: 11AM – 6PM  Independent is an organization for the discovery and rediscovery of extraordinary art for discerning collectors and institutions.    Originally established in 2010 with an art exhibition at the former Dia Center for the Arts, they now produce two landmark shows (Independent and Independent 20th Century).

TEFAF Park Avenue Armory 643 Park Avenue Tefaf Art Fair Collectors Preview (by invitation only): Thursday, May 8 General Admission: Friday, May 9, 11am - 7pm Saturday, May 10, 11am - 7pm Sunday, May 11, 11am - 7pm Monday, May 12, 11am - 7pm Tuesday, May 13, 11am - 6pm Founded in 1988, the European Fine Art Foundation (TEFAF) is recognized as a leading organization for fine art, antiques, and design. TEFAF hosts two major international fairs: its flagship event, TEFAF Maastricht, which showcases 7,000 years of art history, and TEFAF New York, which focuses on Modern and Contemporary Art and design.

Must See Art Openings         ​​​​​​​Rashid Johnson: A Poem for Deep Thinkers Guggenheim  Museum ​​​​​​​1071 Fifth Avenue April 18, 2025–January 18, 2026 Rashid Johnson For nearly 30 years, artist Rashid Johnson (b. 1977, Chicago) has cultivated a diverse body of work that draws upon an array of disciplines such as history, philosophy, literature, and music. This major solo exhibition highlights Johnson’s role as a scholar of art history, a mediator of Black popular culture, and as a creative force in contemporary art.   Almost 90 works—from black-soap paintings and spray-painted text works to large-scale sculptures, film, and video—fill the museum’s rotunda, including Sanguine, a monumental site-specific work on the building’s top ramp with an embedded piano for musical performances. Additionally, a dynamic program of events, developed in collaboration with community partners across New York City, activate a sculptural stage on the rotunda floor.

Lorna Simpson Source Notes Metropolitan Museum of Art 1000 Fifth Avenue May 19–November 2, 2025 Lorna Simpson This presentation of work by New York–based artist Lorna Simpson is the first exhibition to consider the entirety of her painting practice to date. Simpson came to prominence in the early 1990s with her pioneering approach to conceptual photography. Since then, she has produced works in multiple media that continue to probe the nature of images and how they construct meaning. Lorna Simpson: Source Notes focuses on a significant new development in her work of the last 10 years. Through more than 30 works, this focused exhibition presents a selection of Simpson’s major paintings, including examples from her acclaimed Venice Biennale debut in 2015 and her celebrated series Special Characters, along with recent sculptures and related collages.

Thaddeus Mosley Proximity Karma Gallery 549 West 26th Street  April 17- May 24,2025 Thaddeus Mosley Since he first began sculpting wood in the 1950s, Mosley has worked in his studio seven days a week. The artist discovers his forms in the trees from which his sculptures are hewn. Riffing on the simultaneous rootedness and reach of his sylvan muses, Mosley makes works that at once soar upward and make solid contact with the ground. The sculptures in Proximity, while made in the past two years, are the result of seven cumulative decades of experimentation with chisels, gouges, and mallets. These works evince the continued relevance of the major influences—the modernist sculpture of Constantin Brâncuși and Isamu Noguchi; the incredibly varied masks of Western Africa; jazz greats like Charlie Parker and Ornette Coleman—on an ongoing oeuvre whose roots in the twentieth century have blossomed into the twenty-first. ​​​​​​​

Amy Sherald : American Sublime Whiteny Museum ​​​​​​​99 Gansevoort Street Apr 9–Aug 10, 2025 Amy Sherald Amy Sherald is a storyteller. She creates precisely crafted narratives of American life, selecting, styling, and photographing her sitters as the foundation for her nuanced paintings. Thus, while Sherald (b. 1973; Columbus, Georgia) bases her works on specific people, they are more than traditional portraits. They center everyday Black Americans, compelling in their individuality and extraordinary in their ordinariness, inviting viewers to step into Sherald’s imagined worlds. In this exhibition, paintings of such ordinary Americans join her iconic portraits of First Lady Michelle Obama and, heartbreakingly, Breonna Taylor, to produce a resonant ode to the multiplicity and complexity of American identity.

Picasso Tête-à-tête Gagosian In collaboration with Paloma Picasso April 18–July 3, 2025 980 Madison Avenue   Gagosian is pleased to announce Picasso: Tête-à-tête, presented in partnership with the artist’s daughter Paloma Picasso. Offering a unique opportunity to view over fifty rarely seen paintings, sculptures, and drawings from the full span of the artist’s career—1896 to 1972—the exhibition will include nearly a dozen works that are being exhibited publicly for the very first time and others that have not been shown for decades. Drawn largely from Picasso’s estate, Picasso: Tête-à-tête opened April 18 and is the final exhibition to be held at Gagosian’s flagship 980 Madison Avenue gallery.

Must See Theater

The Picture of Dorian Gray  Music Box Theatre 239 W 45th St. Dorian Gray CONGRATULATIONS HENRY!!!!! The story of Dorian Gray revolves around a portrait of a handsome man, Dorian Gray, in his youth. Dorian soon meets Lord Henry Wotton, jumpstarting the lord’s obsession with Dorian, and, in return, Dorian’s obsession with the lord’s hedonistic world view.   Snook plays each character, and “between countless wig and costume changes, she never leaves the stage and the cameras never leave her face for the entire two-hour runtime. The physical stamina alone is impressive and staggering, notwithstanding the precision camera-work, theatricality, and 26 different parts to play,” London Theatre wrote. “Snook is an absolute marvel.”

The Gardener Mother

ENGLISH CAST IRON VICTORIAN SQUARE CLOCHE  Claverton Cloche Gardenheir Cast iron Victorian Cloche This brass cloche is the perfect addition for especially tall plants requiring extra headroom. Perfect for growing tomatoes.

HAWS ENGLAND 1 LITER METAL WATERING CAN IN IVORY Watering Can Gardenheir The Haws 1 Liter metal watering can is a beautiful multi-purpose classic. Perfectly balanced with a long curved spout for pinpoint accuracy, its removable oval non-drip brass rose makes it ideal for watering delicate seedlings, small plants and pots. Comes in a handsome gift box.

NUTSCENE BRITISH GARDEN TWINE Nutscene twine Gardenheir Used and trusted by gardeners since 1922, Nutscene British Garden Twine is soft enough to support tender stems and tough enough to handle heavy items.    Nutscene has been producing jute twine in the Dundee area since 1922. The biodegradable jute twine is made from sustainable resources and wound on the original machinery first used by in 1922.

ITALIAN TERRA COTTA CONSERVATORY POTS   Seibert & Rice Gardenheir Italian Pots Each of these beautiful conservatory pot are hand formed in Impruneta, Italy, home to the highest quality terra cotta pots available in the world. Made individually by a master artisan.   In the hills of Tuscany lies the small town of Impruneta. There, for hundreds of years, artisans have produced the most spectacular terra cotta in the world. The terracotta pottery produced here is unlike any other.  Seibert & Rice is the leading American purveyor of handmade terra cotta from Impruneta, Italy. A cult favorite amongst garden designers, their terracotta pots are mainstays of some of the most prestigious institutions in this country, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The New York Botanical Garden, Longwood Gardens, and the Biltmore Estate.

JAPANESE MINI KENZAN FLOWER FROG SET Gardenheir Mini Frog Set my friend keith came to stay with us for a week and he was kind enough to do all the flowers for an event we had...he said i REALLY need these! Used for ikebana flower displays, these Kenzan are becoming increasingly popular for western style flower arranging, doing away with foam completely. The brass pins are strong enough for woody material, as well as soft green and grass stems. #foamfree

The Best Outdoor Furniture for ​​​​​​​Mothers Day

Faux Bois Outdoor Bench Jayson Faux Bois Bench Please can someone buy this for me! The Grove Bench fits in nicely in any natural setting. A charming nod to the French art of faux bois, this spacious bench is crafted from sturdy, lightweight iron, which has been sculpted to resemble tree branches and finished with a weathered faux cement finish for a perfectly-worn-in feel. atching Grove Chairs for an organic seating area in the garden.

Lewis Chair Munder-Skiles Lewis Chair An homage to the iconic Mid-Century Modern designs by Walter Lamb. Crafted using bronzed brass and premium marine-grade nylon rope, showcasing a sleek open-frame concept that’s further enhanced by the intricate woven diamond pattern adorning both the chair and ottoman. The gracefully curved back, in tandem with a gently angled and flexible rope seat, embodies the signature comfort that characterizes Munder-Skiles.

Aluminum Outdoor Chair Piet Hein Eek Zinc Outdoor Chair OBSESSED! I actually want all of the different pieces! The first time I visited Piet's home base was oover 115 years ago! Keith ( my florist from above and I went together.... If you are in Eindhoven make sure to visit Piet! Its a huge treat! This Outdoor Chair is made with aluminum, an incredibly resistant material. Therefore, this chair is ideal for outdoor use.   The inspiration for this collection comes from Piet Hein Eek’s fascination with metal work. In fact, the designer used to wander around a metal company in his city. He was immensely fascinated by the possibilities of computer-controlled machines, which were used to punch sheet metal and fold it. So he decided to create a collection inspired by this concept.

Gifts for the Well Dressed Garden Mother

LE LABOUREUR FRENCH COTTON BLEND OVERALLS Gardenheir Overalls The Le Laboureur overalls are a staple in the garden, studio, garage, or really anywhere you want convenient cover and easy cleanup, whatever type of work.    Le Laboureur, is a small French family-owned brand producing traditional workwear since the 1950’s. Ever since, fashionmongers and gardeners alike have been drawn to their timeless shapes and practical use.

LE LABOUREUR WORK JACKET  Gardenheir Garden Jacket The Le Laboureur French Cotton Drill Work Jacket, often referred to as the “chore coat”, is an iconic workwear garment. A staple at Great Dixter and other great gardens, the jacket was originally worn by agricultural and industrial workers and is now synonymous with functional style. Simply and practically designed, this work jacket is a great outerwear piece that is wide enough to layer but not too bulky on its own.

LE LABOUREUR X GARDENHEIR FRENCH COTTON FARM PANT  Gardenheir Like all French workwear, the best days are after a few washes. The cotton has softened, color has faded, and the fit has relaxed into your body.    These French farm pants romantically conjure up images of agricultural work from another era. But nostalgia isn’t the only reason to be drawn to them. A necessity in any garden wardrobe, the Le Laboureur farm pant will live up to any of your gardening demands.

Women's Neoprene Gardener Clogs Hunter  Neoprene Clogs A slip-on clog handcrafted from natural rubber, designed for gardening. The clog has a flexible natural rubber form and Hunter's signature tread providing grip . Lined in Neoprene®, it protects from the elements as well as supporting the foot..

Gifts for the Wellness Mother

RATTAN MEDITATION STOOL Zara Meditation Stool This is SO CHIC! A meditation stool made of woven rattan. For a comfortable and correct posture during meditation.

OAK SPORTS BENCH WITH LEATHER Zara Oak Gym Bench Go Zara! This bench is made for exercise. The structure is made of oak wood and the surface and rollers are upholstered in leather.

OAK WOOD AND STEEL DUMBBELL Zara Steel & oak Dumbbells Dumbbell made of oak wood and steel. Seriously??? Fabulous!  The weight is indicated in kg and lb. Includes a bag with adjustable strap fastening, made of cotton, for easy transport and storage.

FAUX SHEARLING MULE SLIPPERS Zara Shearling Slippers Faux shearling slippers

Gifts for the Pressed Flower Enthusiast!​​

This section is devoted to one of my closest friends, Helene van Beuren. Helene has been a devoted bee keeper and has  created her own home grown honey in Rhode Island which she named Bad Ass Honey.  Well, the last couple of years ( and more intensely the last eight months, Helene has been completely ensconced in pressed flower design. Her background has been as an artist and she is coming back to her roots. She has made large scale projects as well as mid size canvases. Each body f work is a unique design. She has also made note cards ( which are sold in sets of 6 or 10)  that are beautiful as well. These all can be found on her website Bad Ass Honey. There is a section devoted to the pressed flowers called The Flower Shop. I am so proud to share some of her designs with you.

Pressed Queen Anne's Lace

Hellebores & Pansies

Spring Pansies

Field of Flowers

EXCLUSIVES

No matter what your needs or neighborhood preferences are, we will work tirelessly to find what you want and make it happen for you. My mother, Betsy S. Green and I are partners at Douglas Elliman. Together we represent clients in NYC, the Hamptons and Palm Beach. So when looking for real estate—whether you are expanding a family, downsizing, changing residences or relocating from another city—we would be thrilled to be involved in your journey and work with you.

41 Central Park West  11A $16,900,000 6 beds, 5 baths ​​​​​​​41 Central Park West 11A

820 Park Avenue 10/11S  In Contract 3 beds, 3.5 baths ​​​​​​​820 Park Avenue 10/11S

345 East 50th Street PHB $3,750,000 2 beds, 2.5 baths ​​​​​​​345 East 50th Street PHB

563 Park Avenue  11E $3,380,000 2 beds, 2.5 baths 563 Park Avenue 11E

165 Hudson Street  PHA $3,280,000 1 beds, 2 baths 165 Hudson Street PHA

563 Park Avenue 7E In Contract 563 Park Avenue 7E

136 Waverly Place 12A In Contract 136 Waverly Place 12A

808 Broadway  PHF In Contract 808 Broadway PHF

MARKET REPORT

Mortgage rates in Manhattan decreased this quarter, and a record-setting rental market pushed more consumers to enter the purchase market. Sales surged for both co-ops and condos on an annual basis, while their listing inventory experienced a more modest increase. All price trend indicators showcased significant gains as the sales mix expanded to larger units. Purchase mortgage sales grew at double the annual rate compared to cash sales. Resales increased year over year at triple the pace of listing inventory. New development sales surged annually at a notably higher rate than resales, particularly for transactions exceeding $5 million, while their average sales size grew annually at its second-fastest rate in over four years. Luxury price trend indicators rose annually at a faster rate than the overall market. The luxury listing inventory – including both resales and new developments - declined year over year. MANHATTAN Q1 MARKET HIGHLIGHTS

Sales from $1 million to $5 million in the Hamptons dominated the market as sales nearly doubled year over year. Median sales price increased annually to the highest on record, exceeding the $2 million threshold for the first time. Listing inventory has been expanding for more than two years, enabling more sales. A record high share of sales was in the “Hamptons Middle,” from $1 million to $5 million. HAMPTONS Q1 MARKET HIGHLIGHTS

Listing inventory continued to increase inconsistently across Florida, while Miami, Coral Gables, and Wellington remained below levels of five years ago. The Gulf Coast is seeing a higher rate of supply coming into its respective markets than the Oceanside markets. Cash purchases remained a significant part of the home-buying process in the region. Sales direction in the markets is split between rising and falling trends on an annual basis. PALM BEACH Q1 MARKET HIGHLIGHTS

CONTACT

I hope you have enjoyed this months City Notes!

PATRICIA ISEN Licensed Real Estate Salesperson Office: 212.303.5227 | Mobile: 610.209.3831