Art fairs energize New York scene - Front Page - Art Show, Armory Show

Art in America, April, 2002 by David Ebony

In February, New York City once again played host to two of the country's largest annual fine-art fairs, the Art Show, at the uptown Park Avenue Armory, and the Armory Show, at Hudson River piers 88 and 90 in midtown. Organized by the Art Dealers Association of America, the five-day Art Show featured mostly blue-chip works of modern and contemporary art offered by 70 of the nation's most respected galleries. The Armory Show, lasting four days, highlighted cutting-edge contemporary art works from 170 dealers from around the world.

Both fairs chalked up record-breaking attendance figures this time. More than 12,000 people saw the Art Show, while 24,250 visited the Armory Show. Dispelling fears that the current economic slump and recent terrorist attacks would significantly impact business at the fairs, many dealers reported that a large number of serious collectors were in attendance and sales at both fairs were brisk. Each year, the fairs kick off with benefit previews. This time, approximately 2,000 guests attended the Art Show's Feb. 20 gala, raising $900,000 to benefit the Henry Street Settlement. The following evening, some 1,500 people at the Armory Show's extravaganza contributed over $250,000 to the Museum of Modern Art.

The members of the Art Dealers Association traditionally try to out-do each other by bringing to the fair the best works they have to offer. This year a number of dealers presented solo shows. New York's Sperone Westwater, for example, spotlighted recent, richly colored and textured canvases by Jonathan Lasker, while Tasende Gallery from Los Angeles presented an elegant show of abstract steel sculptures and works on paper by the Basque artist Eduardo Chillida. Allan Stone featured large recent figurative works by Danish-born painter Kurt Trampedach, and Michael Werner showed a diverse group of small bronzes and works on paper by German artist A.R. Penck. Saul Steinberg was seen in depth at PaceWildenstein and a large installation piece, The Costume Party (1965-72) by the late George Segal, filled Carroll Janis's booth.

As usual, there were plenty of individual gems on display throughout the fair. Early Jackson Pollock oil studies of horses, presented by Joan T. Washburn, were knockouts. Milton Avery's cool blue canvas Saratoga Lake, displayed along with a rare related drawing, and a David Smith painted ceramic sculpture were highlights of Knoedler's booth. David Zwirner hung a striking portrait of Gilbert & George by Gerhard Richter, which would have made a fine addition to his current survey at MOMA. Locks Gallery of Philadelphia showed an intricate 1970s wax wall relief in shades of gray by Lynda Benglis. Colorful canvases by veteran abstractionists Fred Mitchell and Emily Mason glowed from David Findlay Jr.'s booth, while Felrath Hines's sleek abstractions were highlights at June Kelly.

Historical pieces are always among the star attractions of the Art Show. Babcock's early Marsden Hartley Portrait Arrangement No. 2 (1912-13), one of the artist's mystical paintings, was a standout, as was a stunning early Cubist Jacques Lipchitz stone sculpture at Rachel Adler. Another unexpected delight was a vitrine at Achim Moeller containing 55 miniature wooden figures and houses from 1948-52, carved and painted by Lyonel Feininger. Peter Blume's large painting Winter(1964), a snow scene with boulders and birds, looked resplendent at Hirschl & Adler Modern, and a fine drawing of a male nude by the late Paul Cadmus graced DC Moore's booth. Ameringer/Howard/ Yohe's presentation of works by Hofmann, Olitski, Hockney and others was a tribute to the now-retired dealer Andre Emmerich, whose influential New York gallery had a 44-year run.

The mood was less sober at the vast Armory Show, but overall, compared with last year, the displays seemed stronger, with fewer jokey offerings. This time, fair organizers Katelijne De Bacher, Tim Smith and Isabelle Dupuis pulled together a slick event, with carpeted floors, better food and a spruced-up catalogue with a cover by Karen Kilimnick.

As in years past, the Armory Show offered a U.S. art audience its first glimpse of new work from abroad. Presentations of galleries from Copenhagen, Athens, Madrid, Verona, Prague, Osaka, Sydney and other cities made a splash at the fair this year. Appearing for the first time, Prague dealer Jiri Svenska, for example, showed Milena Dopitova's abstract fabric sculptures that look like oversized butterflies. Also on view were recent photos and sculptures by Jiri Cemicky, including Hollywood Stars, a white baseball glove with strands of crystals flowing from the fingers, which was the focus of a hypnotic video playing on a nearby screen. Italy's Galleria Continua from San Gimignano presented a photo and a rubber ceiling fan that had apparently crashed to the floor, by Loris Cecchini, who was included in last year's Venice Biennale, but rarely shows here. Sydney's Gitte Weise devoted her entire booth to large-scale photos of carpets laid down in wooded settings, by Australian artist Rosemary Laing.