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Sikkema Jenkins (NYC) is showing two new small-scale works by one of our all-time favorites, Leonardo Drew (we always make sure to stop and stare at one of his more grandly sized sculptural installations usually on display at the Met in NYC). The pair of similar, grid-based works here are made of white cast paper and string (and in one, steel) enclosed in efficient frame containers. Subtle works with intimate surprises, they reward at close viewing, and are a steal at $12,000/each.

Yet more evidence that the work of Nancy Spero remains woefully undervalued: her Scenes de la Mediteranee at the Anthony Reynolds Gallery (London), a 1961 painting that is small in size but overwhelmingly beautiful, was begging to be bought at $30,000. At the same gallery, we initially resisted then succumbed to Georg Herold’s It Would be Nice to Have Just One Untitled, made of (vertical) bricks on canvas. You wouldn't think that it works, but it does.

Galeria Luisa Strina (Sao Paulo) was showing wall-mounted sculptures by Cildo Meireles made from measuring sticks. To put it simply, they ruled.

When engaging on the epic quest that is trying to see every work at every gallery at a major fair, we have two resources at our disposal. When we need to be cheered up, we seek out the work of John Lurie. When what is called for is a few moments of grace, we can rely on Maureen Gallace. Fortunately, we found two paintings of hers at the fair: Cape Cod, one of her signature house portraits in her calming, ethereal colors, at 303 Gallery (NYC); and Icy Stream at Maureen Paley (London). Both were available for $38,000, and the double dose of their simple power invigorated us to continue our trek.

Works by Anish Kapoor in every medium were scattered in pleasing abundance throughout the fair. If we had to settle for just one, we'd opt for his giant concave disk of polished black granite at Galleria Massimo Minini (Untitled (Mirror); €270,000). Visitors who stand in front of it are enlarged, fun-house-mirror style, to thrice their normal size. The perfect gift for both egoists and those who want a boost of confidence before venturing out to greet the day.

Tone Vigeland’s wall-mounted wire sculpture at Oslo's Riis, is a curvilinear inverted T, delightful in its elegant simplicity and priced to sell at €10,000.

A work ($15,000) by the wonderfully named abstract painter Paulo Pasta caught our eye at Galeria Millan Antonio (Sao Paulo). The artist is hugely popular in Brazil, according to the gallery’s Sophia Whately, but few of his large-scale, color-saturated works yet grace any collections outside the country.

A big thumbs up to the work of Belgrade-born artist Bojan Sarcevic at Galerie BQ (Cologne). Abstract watercolors in soothing pastels (on paper) are placed on cut wood; the piece de resistance is the attachment of a slightly twisted sprig of brass.

We were shocked to see that a strong work by Richard Tuttle from 1994 was still available at Galerie Meert-Rihoux (Brussels) for $80,000. Attached against a background of green, painted wood are two Styrofoam chunks in red and yellow, offset with a piece of plain, white cloth.

Finally, if we had a million dollars (or more precisely, $1.5 million), we couldn't imagine it could be better spent than on a ceramic, wood-and-rope statue from 1952 by Isamu Noguchi at the Peter Blum Gallery. Less than two-feet high, a thick jut of rope hangs down in front of a cavity whose shape was inspired by ... a figure eight? The reverse side of an elongated African mask? A woman's body? We couldn't be sure, but we would have been more than happy to spend all day contemplating the piece, trying to figure it out.