Armory Show offers glimpse of today’s art

There is perhaps no better place to learn the business of art than the Armory Show. This weekend, 280 galleries from 31 countries assemble on Piers 92 and 94 to put out the best for collectors from all over the world. The show provides an exhaustive survey of art on a truly grand scale.

The show is one of the most important, if not the most important, of the New York art year. “These events bring together not only thousands of people but hundreds of galleries. But they really are opportunities to think about art, in particular contemporary art, in the largest context possible,” said Glenn Lowry, director of the Museum of Modern Art.

International collectors bring blank checks and big bank accounts. When looking to buy—or, in a student’s case, just admire—there are two options. One can either visit Pier 92 to see modern art, or Pier 94 for contemporary art. Both spaces are immense and spectacular. Each gallery is assigned a booth where visitors can view row after row of stunning art from the most respected international institutions.

The fair is an amazing opportunity for students to experience the international art world in full force. Plus, students pay only $10 to get in, instead of the general admission price of $30.
Katelijne De Backer, executive director of the Armory Show, suggested a plan for students visiting the show. “I would first go to Pier 94 to see all the new art, because Pier 94 still focuses on new art by living artists. There you will see artworks that come fresh out of the artist’s studio,” she said.

Pierogi, a Brooklyn-based gallery, has several playful and original pieces on display. The most striking is “To Dust” by Jonathan Schipper. The piece features two Greco-Romanesque stone statues hanging upside down on chains, being ground together by an electric motor. A white platform below catches the debris and serves to emphasize the way in which the two stones wear each other away. The piece’s gradual self-destruction forces viewers to question the shelf life of a work of art.

This year the fair has started a new section called Armory Focus, devoting a section of the exhibit to a particular city. The first city of focus is Berlin. Charlotte von Carmer, from Galerie Barbara Weiss in Berlin, explained that the Berlin art scene differs from New York’s in that “more artists are based in Berlin. Berlin is a bit still young and in the development and fresh.”

The Galerie Barbara Weiss booth features the work of Monika Baer. Von Carmer said, “These are all works from 2009. She’s focusing on spider webs … You see the fabric of the canvas, you see the paint, you see the nail, you see the frame.” Indeed, Baer’s work cuts into the actual canvas to let the viewer see through the actual work. Von Carmer mentioned that Baer “has a really good humor.” This is evident in the cigarette Baer leaves lying on top of one of the paintings and a key on another. There is an innovative playfulness in her pieces.

“I think this booth of Monika Baer’s is unbelievably fabulous. She’s a great painter in a German tradition of painting and she’s pushing the bounds of it, she’s pushing it forward and I find that really interesting,” said art collector John Morace.

For collectors and students alike, the Armory Show is a New York art world staple not to be missed. Executive Director De Backer put it best: ”The art is here for five days, and it might disappear in a collection forever or for hundreds of years, so it’s really a good way to see what’s going on in the minds of artists of the moment.”