THE ARMORY
SHOW 2002
Douglas
Gordon, "It's Gone," © Peter Serling, 2002
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THE ARMORY SHOW 2002
Most Successful Armory Show Ever Draws Crowds And Praise
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - The Armory Show 2002, the International Fair of New
Art, closed Monday, February 25, to rave reviews. The Armory Show is one
of the worlds leading international art fairs and the largest devoted
exclusively to contemporary art. The consensus among the 173 leading
contemporary art galleries from around the world, the global press, and
the visiting public was that this fourth annual exhibition of new art
was a resounding success and, indeed, the best Armory Show yet. In a few
short years, The Armory Show has become the worlds pre-eminent
showcase for new art by living artists.
Spring-like weather welcomed thousands of art lovers who flocked to
Manhattans Hudson River waterfront for Americas largest and most
influential celebration of contemporary art. Overall attendance grew
almost 25% to roughly 25,000. The fair attracted hundreds of prominent
collectors, artists, curators, critics and dealers from around the
globe. Celebrities included Steve Martin, Martha Stewart, Madonna, John
Waters, Candace Bergen, David Byrne, and Joan Rivers, among others. More
than 860 media representatives also attended. Foreign languages dotted
the exhibit halls reflecting not only the participation of numerous
international dealers (48% of exhibitors hailed from outside the US) but
large numbers of foreign visitors as well.
Attendance at The Armory Show has become de rigueur for curators and
museum officials. Seen at the fair, among many others, were Glenn D.
Lowry and Agnes Gund (The Museum of Modern Art, New York), Max Anderson
and Larry Rinder (Whitney Museum of American Art), Paul Schimmel (Museum
of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles), Ned Rifkin (Hirshhorn Museum and
Sculpture Garden, Washington DC) Mark Rosenthal (Solomon R. Guggenheim
Museum), Dan Cameron (New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York), Bonnie
Clearwater (Museum of Contemporary Art, Miami), Gijs van Tuyl and
Annelie Lütgens (Kustmuseum Wolfsburg, Germany), Neal Benezra (Art
Institute of Chicago), Richard Flood (Walker Art Center, Minneapolis),
Eugenio Lopez (La Coleccion Jumex, Mexico City), Adam Weinberg (Addison
Gallery of American Art, Andover, MA), Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev and
Andrea Viliani (Castello di Rivoli, Museo dArte Contemporanea,
Turin), and Jeremy Lewison and Donna De Salvo (Tate Modern, London).
Any trepidation about the size of the publics appetite for
contemporary art was quickly laid to rest. Most exhibitors reported very
strong sales that continued throughout the run of the fair.
Conversations with New York-based dealers participating in The Armory
Show 2002 suggested brisk business in their galleries as well. Katelijne
De Backer, Director, said "The Armory Show 2002 succeeded in delivering
a show of exceptional quality and variety. The general slowdown in
business and travel to New York following September 11 combined with the
postponement of Art Basel Miami Beach created strong demand on the part
of the art-buying public. We provided the supply side at just the right
moment. A number of dealers reported selling out their booths. In fact,
several dealers said they did better business than at any other previous
art fair. One gallery told me they sold more in the first two days than
during all of last years Armory Show, and last years show was a
great one for !
sales."
Max Henry writing in his "Gotham Dispatch" on artnet.com
(www.artnet.com) reported the fair "has brought a collective sigh of
relief to many dealers, and for those participants who have put on a
brave face, that trusted euphemism, its on reserve was bandied
about like a fool-proof mantra that would manifest an actual sale."
New York City was also a winner at The Armory Show 2002. Tim Smith,
Managing Director, said, "I think its safe to say that New York is
back in business, stronger than ever. The fact that we could attract so
many international galleries and foreign visitors so soon after
September 11 bodes extremely well for the renaissance of New York. And
were grateful to our friends in City government who worked diligently
to see that the Piers were available for us as planned. We promised the
City we would deliver a fair that would not only send a message to the
global art community and traveling public, but deliver hundreds of
thousands of dollars to the local economy. I think we succeeded beyond
our expectations. Well be working with our exhibitors over the next
few weeks to prepare an accurate picture of The Armory Shows positive
economic impact on the City."
The Armory Show 2002 opened Thursday, February 21, with a Preview Gala
benefiting the Exhibition Fund of The Museum of Modern Art, New York.
The Gala was attended by a host of art world dignitaries including
hundreds of exhibited artists who were invited to attend as guests of
the Museum. More than 1,500 tickets were sold and The Museum of Modern
Art raised more than $250,000 from the event.
Saturday morning, February 23, was reserved for a private viewing by
museum groups. Taking advantage of this exclusive look at the fair were
member groups from Blue Star Art Space (San Antonio, TX), Brooklyn
Museum of Art (NYC), Chrysler Museum of Art (Norfolk, VA), Contemporary
Arts Center (Cincinnati, OH), Guggenheim Museum (NYC), International
Print Center (NYC), Metropolitan Museum of Art (NYC), Museum of
Contemporary Art (Miami), The Museum of Modern Art (NYC), Museum of the
City of New York, New Museum of Contemporary Art (NYC), Palm Beach
Institute of Contemporary Art, Tang Teaching Museum (Saratoga Springs,
NY), and the Whitney Museum of American Art (NYC).
One of the stars of The Armory Show 2002 was the official catalogue. The
catalogue featured original artwork commissioned by The Armory Show 2002
from Philadelphia-based artist Karen Kilimnik. Her unique vision proved
popular with exhibitors and visitors alike. The full press run of the
catalogue was sold out by the fairs end. New York dealer Lisa
Spellman of 303 Gallery represents Kilimnik and featured the nine
original Kilimnik drawings in her booth at The Armory Show 2002. Most
found immediate homes. Spellman reported that the first to sell was the
New York skyline drawing that was featured prominently in advertisements
and promotional materials for the fair. Inaugurating a new program by
the fairs management, the Kilimnik commission was the first to be
awarded to a different artist each year. Commenting on the program,
Spellman said, "We have had such incredible response to the project. The
Armory Show is the only art fair to do anything like this and it clearly
shows !
! its commitment to living artists. I hope all subsequent commissions
work out as well as this one did for us, the artist and the fair."
A great deal of praise was also reserved for the running of this
years show. Management spent considerable time and expense over the
past year to improve the organization and efficiency of the fair.
Exhibitors were enthusiastic in their praise of the management teams
competence. Writing in the New York Times [circulation: 1.7 million]
(www.nytimes.com), Roberta Smith said, "The walls are sturdier this
year, the floors are carpeted, and reasonable nourishment is available.
An unfamiliar sense of calm prevailed during the setting-up days" The
whole event feels and looks much more together, even adult. The Armory
Shows claim to be the International Fair of New Art is more or
less fulfilled." Max Henry, Gotham Dispatch (artnet.com), concurred,
"Pound for pound the fair was overall better than ever."
The Armory Show 2002 was sponsored in part by The International Herald
Tribune, the worlds daily newspaper (www.iht.com). The VIP Collectors
Lounge at The Armory Show 2002 was made possible by the generous support
of Arvid (www.arvidinc.com), Maharam (www.maharam.com) and Moss
(www.mossonline.com).
The Armory Show 2003 takes place February 20-24, 2003, on Piers 88 and
90 in New York City. Applications (limited to commercial contemporary
art galleries) will be available beginning in April from the show
office; applications may also be downloaded from the Internet beginning
in April. The deadline for applications is June 1, 2003.
For further information about The Armory Show, call 212-645-6440 or
email the show office at info@thearmoryshow.com. Additional information
is available on the Internet at www.thearmoryshow.com.
For more information go to: http://www.thearmoryshow.com
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