Review of the Armory Show

While a lot of interesting art was on display at the Art Dealers Association of America's 2010 Armory Show, it was at its core, a trade show. The talk was who sold what for how much. This event is more about money, personalities, and politics than anything else. The recent Damien Hirst show "End of an Era" came to mind. A large head of a bull with a large gold disk between gold horns in a gold tank of formaldehyde reminded me of the scene in the "Ten Commandments" when Moses came down from the mountain and found the Israelites worshiping a golden calf in an orgy of excess. What is a young idealistic art student to think? If you are in it for the money, you need to cultivate the right connections.

At the Pierogi booth, Jonathan Schipper, turns the art world on its head by inverting two classical figures and suspending them from a chain. These two figures in the piece called "To Dust" 2009-10 face each other like the characters in a Greek myth.

Robert Irwin's "4 Fold" 2009, light sculpture at the Nyehaus booth consists of two deep blue columns of light and various shadows and reflections surrounding it, $95,000.00.

In Matthew Chambers piece, "Noble Rider of Sound"2009, a large oil and acrylic painting on canvas, bands of color intersect and overlap, weaving to create a dense cluster of tones that have depth and movement.

A large painting titled "Thoughts on a Monsoon Morning/Orange Room" 2007 by Irene Fish is an expansive interior view of a light filled space notable by its birds eye vantage point composition. This was at the Locks Gallery booth.

I could go on, but I suppose some of my feeling about the show is sour grapes, if I had the money to collect, or could profit from the sale of expensive art work I might feel different.

The Armory Show on Park Avenue was also a mix of contemporary and 20th century artists works. A Milton Avery painting was priced at over a million dollars. I did discover some artists that I had previously over looked. Thomas Chimes, David Rabinowitch, Ray Johnson, and Conrad Marca-Relli are among those whose work I would like to be more familiar with. Next year, who knows?