Gossip about recent art fair-industry consolidation was a major focus at the VIP opening day of The Armory Show, as art world denizens debated the impact of the Frieze acquisition of both Armory and EXPO Chicago earlier this summer, according to artnet.com
For the near-term, and amid a buzzy opening that seemed to only be gathering momentum as the the day wound on (the fair runs until September 10), Armory Show executive director Nicole Berry was laser-focused. “I feel like this is just such a strong fair. And the response has been wonderful and supportive of that,” Berry told Artnet News a few hours into the opening.
Berry said that everything was already very much in-motion for this year’s edition when the Frieze acquisition was announced in mid-July. “My team has been focused on creating a great fair. A lot of the discussions about what happens in the future will be post-fair,” she said. For now the Frieze New York art fair, which takes place just a few blocks south of the Javits Center in the multi-level venue of the Shed, at Hudson Yards, is scheduled to take place as usual, as is the 2024 edition of Armory again at the Javits.
The special Armory section “Platform,” which features large-scale works and was curated by Eva Respini, deputy director at the Vancouver Art Gallery, was particularly compelling, with standout pieces like Woody De Othello’s large-scale patinated bronze sculpture, presented by Jessica Silverman, that sold for $400,000.
Also on view was Yinka Shonibare, Agnes Denes, and Teresita Fernandez, among others. Organized under the theme of “Rewriting Histories,” it featured a mix of new works alongside iterations of previously seen hits, like Barthélémy Toguo’s latest version of the massive Urban Requiem (2015), shown at the Venice Biennale last year. Beyond this, there was a massive amount of figurative paintings on display across all sections of the fair—a fact that many visitors couldn’t help but notice and comment on throughout the day. And business seemed brisk.
Dealer Ben Brown, one of only a handful of gallerists that simultaneously exhibited at both Armory and Frieze Seoul in South Korea, told Artnet News that the energy at Armory was decidedly better, especially with more confirmed sales. The booth, which had striking works on display by Yoan Capote, Candida Höfer, Vik Muniz, José Parlá, Enoc Perez, and Ena Swansea, was hard to miss within feet of the fair entrance.
Sales of works included those by Capote and Muniz; prices of sold works ranged from $75,000 to $100,000. New York gallery Berry Campbell had a standout booth, a curated presentation of 12 postwar women artists. The gallery has a distinct focus on re-examining underrepresented women artists of the 20th-century. Gallery owner Christine Campbell called it “an incredible day,” noting high demand for artists including Alice Baber, Bernice Bing, and Lynn Drexler.
