armory show redux

I had not been to the Armory Show in a few years, and it was a pleasure to return yesterday.  Art fairs can be overwhelming experiences, and this one was no different - it is a challenge to focus on the works on display while attempting to weave one's way through hundreds of visitors (and, in a few cases, former colleagues) doing the same; however, I did manage to identify a number of works that were of interest to me and enjoyed being in the presence of such diverse offerings.

To me, the show represented the ideal mix of work by established and emerging artists.  The Armory Show's focus is highly contemporary, and thus the works on display skewed rather heavily towards the latter group. Works by more established artists were relatively few and far between (I spotted a large Damien Hirst skull painting at White Cube, a few works by Vik Muniz, and a Serrano photograph), and I enjoyed discovering photographs, drawings, paintings, and sculpture by names which were entirely unfamiliar to me.

Our class discussion of Broys' Art Power, with its discussions of the role of curators and critics, brought up some interesting issues for me.  I came to realize that I tend to compare the experience of walking through the Armory Show to that of wandering through a contemporary art museum exhibition, though intellectually I am well aware that the functions of the two events are entirely disparate.  While the Armory serves an entirely commercial purpose, exhibitions such as the Whitney Biennial and shows at such contemporary spaces at the New Museum are mounted in the interest of capturing what is, in fact, the "art of our time."

I also find it interesting that critics consistently provide commentary on art fairs, as though they are comparable to carefully curated museum exhibitions.  A fair which represents the independent choices of over a hundred dealers showcasing the work of the artists in their stable is different from a cohesive exhibition in an institution which has employed curators to organize a group of works around a central purpose or theme.  Nonetheless, the press often treats them in a similar fashion.  Below are links to the New York Times reviews of both.

New York Times review of the Armory Show

New York Times review of the Whitney Biennial