Art Review: Armory Show in Manhattan Covers the Globe

I went to the opening of this year’s Armory Show at Pier 94 in Manhattan on Wednesday. Outside was the sparkling Hudson. Inside, there was enough Purell to float the Circle Line. The first flu cases have already hit Manhattan but the mood was lively among big crowds. Elbow bumps, air kisses, unusually ridiculous jazz waves, and a bow or two ruled the festivities. Champagne flowed, as did 120 proof hand sanitizer, but hold the Corona beer, please. It’ll kill the mood.

With 180 galleries from 32 countries showing mostly new work, it’s a massive show, so big no Armory in New York can show it. The 1913 Armory Show was indeed in an armory and famously supplied Americans with so massive a dose of new art from Europe that the New York art avant garde was born. This fair, held every year, borrows the name “Armory Show” and covers the globe.

About the Author

Brian T. Allen

Brian T. Allen is National Review’s art critic.

I went to the opening of this year’s Armory Show at Pier 94 in Manhattan on Wednesday. Outside was the sparkling Hudson. Inside, there was enough Purell to float the Circle Line. The first flu cases have already hit Manhattan but the mood was lively among big crowds. Elbow bumps, air kisses, unusually ridiculous jazz waves, and a bow or two ruled the festivities. Champagne flowed, as did 120 proof hand sanitizer, but hold the Corona beer, please. It’ll kill the mood.

With 180 galleries from 32 countries showing mostly new work, it’s a massive show, so big no Armory in New York can show it. The 1913 Armory Show was indeed in an armory and famously supplied Americans with so massive a dose of new art from Europe that the New York art avant garde was born. This fair, held every year, borrows the name “Armory Show” and covers the globe.