Every year the Armory Show hits New York City piers 92 and 94 with a mad flurry of exhibitors, viewers, limousines, lines and hype. I’ve gone to this show for three years and I can say with confidence that they may be the most interesting years in the world of the art market and of the Armory Show specifically. In 2008 I watched Wall Street money managers pay obscene prices for obscure art they didn’t understand but happened to match the Italian marble floor in their penthouses. I watched the art world watch in dismay and disgust as the art flew off the makeshift walls during these transactions. Then came September 2008. Lehman dissolved and the subsequent real estate Ponzi scheme came to light crashing the world economy. In 2009 a much subdued Armory Show slid into New York with space in the aisles to do yoga should the need overcome and a noticeable dearth of limousines at the entrance. The art market was going through a major upheaval in philosophy and in economic value and most were reeling from the thwarted expectation that the heyday would continue for a long time coming. As we all know, it didn’t and in 2009 there wasn’t a hedge fund manager to be found on the floor. Well, maybe they were there but they certainly were not making themselves known. So much for that marble floor.
With all this modern history behind it, the Armory Show rolled into New York City once again in 2010. I saw a much relieved art world that things were stabilizing and that business could continue as usual albeit at substantially reduced prices. The art wasn’t flying off the walls, but it was moving and as this is an art market, I would like to concentrate on this aspect in this review. I do not see the Armory Show as a global exhibition or as a concentrated museum alternative. It is not a biennial nor is it curated. I see it as a market, an art fair that is economically stimulated.
I started at Pier 94 mainly because that is where I was dropped off and in anticipation of a long day of walking was completely determined not to increase the length of my walk in any way. Pier 94 showcases the galleries showing really contemporary work, in other words, the less conservative galleries. Since this work has no name yet except maybe post-contemporary, it’s hard to describe what I was looking at. It seems that the name of the game this year is appropriation of American symbols and icons including images and figures created by former artists. This isn’t a new game but the quantity certainly was new. I saw a lot of work hinting at socio-political issues but very little taking on the big issues of our time.
In the art world, a red or green dot on the nameplate under a piece of art means that the work has been sold or is being held for sale. I didn’t see a lot of dots in Pier 94. I saw almost no dots. In fact, the only place where every piece had a dot was in the Gagosian stall where every Damien Hirst print or replica of his work was already sold. What a pun that many of his paintings are patterns of dots.
But in general, the faces of the attendees in Pier 94 were somewhat bewildered and overwhelmed. It seemed like they were looking for something to connect to in a chaos of mish mash. Everything was there, every media, type and form. I visited on the final day of the show and the aisles between galleries were crowded to the maximum. It was hard to move around and it took patience and perseverance to actually get close enough to the art to see it. There was no time to participate, no time to connect or interpret as the crowd determined viewing times. I’m not complaining, as I know the Armory is not a gallery. But I saw some interesting art and artists and would have liked to immerse myself more. I can imagine that this would hurt sales in the end.
Going up the stairs to Pier 92 was an adventure in itself. Only one person can enter the stairs at a time, a fact that is carefully monitored by an apologetic security guard. The result is a line of people that is reminiscent of depression era German bread lines. Not for the faint of heart nor the impatient and it certainly reduced the time available to view art.
Pier 92 is host to the more conservative galleries; the now predictable modernist art of Sam Francis, William de Kooning, Ed Rushka, Joan Mitchell and Franz Kline among others. For example, the Gary Snyder gallery has a display of ’60s-style abstractions by Thomas Downing, Nicholas Krushenick, and Howard Mehring which are interesting. The floor allowed me to slide into a pot of deep color and form. Missing but not missed were the glitz, neon and volume of Pier 94.
I have to admit that eavesdropping on the rich and their talk of decorating their second or third or fourth homes and would this ‘picture’ match was absolutely entertaining. I bumped into a friend that was purchasing an expensive Boo Ritson photograph at the Alan Cristea gallery because it would look good in his daughter’s bedroom (his daughter is 6). The Armory Show is not only an art show.
For the art lover, this section of the armory is essential because here are works that will be shown once or twice before they are purchased and sequestered away in a rich individual’s home or in a corporation never to be seen again until the estate auction or a bankruptcy. Although they are minor works they are interesting and historically revelent. I may never be able to afford such work but the Armory show and the art market gives me the chance to see it and for that I am grateful.
