The First Day of The Armory Show was cold wet and windy. Like last year, the show took place at Pier 92 and 94 on the west side of Manhattan island.

I'm posting these images from the art fairs of a few weeks ago. I had some web hosting issues that I had to deal with before I could post this. Hopefully, all of that is now sorted out and now I can move on the solving the Blogger FTP issues I'm going to have when Blogger ends FTP service May 1st.

This year's Armory Show was an overload of art, just like every art fair. The general mood was more upbeat then last and it seemed like buyers were out shopping for deals. While many people are turned off by the art fair experience, they need to understand their place and they have an idea of what to expect. In general an art fair is not a full serving of what an artist or gallery is about. Art fairs are similar to tasting small samples of food from various chefs. Fairs give you a general idea of their flavors and the current trends. Like sampling food, an art fair is not, in most cases, the best way to view art. But it is a fantastic snapshot of the art world--like supplying bite sized samplers for the viewer to try and see if they want to experience the 5 course fixed price meal.

I arrived to the The Armory Show the morning of the opening day for the press preview, several hours before the VIPs were admitted. Here is a collection of the art that caught my attention. I'll post more pictures of Art Fair Week soon.

Glenn D. Lowry, the current Director of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) gave an opening talk to the press at The Armory Show. We were offered a glass of champagne. Then he discussed the upcoming art fair week and gushed about New York's great culture of the arts. He didn't take any questions from the crowd.

An overview of the Modern wing of The Armory Show.

Gregory Crewdson, Untitled, 2007 at Galerie Daniel Templon, Paris, France.

Nathalia Edenmont, Self Portrait (Death Bed), 2007 at Wetterling Gallery, Stockholm, Sweden.

Michael Wolf, Transparent City #39 (on left) and #78 (on right) both 2007 at Bruce Silverstein Gallery, New York, NY.

While I mostly was looking at photographic art that I find interesting / good this painting by Marc Trujillo really stopped me in my tracks. In this painting, 200 East Cypress it is like he is referencing photographers like Brian Ulrich. I love the expressions he captures in the people. At Hirschl & Adler Modern, New York, NY.

Marc Trujillo, 200 East Cypress (detail), 2009 at Hirschl & Adler Modern, New York, NY.

Andy Warhol, Campbell's Soup Can, Chicken with Rice. 1966.

Hiroshi Sugimoto, Neanderthal (top), 1994. Hyena-Jackal-Vulture (bottom), 1976. At Alan Koppel Gallery, Chicago, IL. These were particularly nice to see since I recently visited the "The Museum of Unnatural History" show at Clamp Art that heavily referenced this work.

Yves Klein and Harry Shunk, The Painter Casts Himself Into The Void!, 1960. At Alan Koppel Gallery, Chicago, IL. Finally I get to see the real "falling" image I included in my blog post Common Themes: Falling in Contempory Photography .

A salon-style booth at Winter Works on Paper, Brooklyn, NY.

Ed Ruscha, Gasoline Stations portfolio, 1962. Ten 19 X 23 inch Geltin Silver Prints. Printed 1989 at Yancey Richardson Gallery, New York, NY.

Thomas Downing, "Untitled," 1965 at Gary Snyder Project Space, New York, NY.

Bernd and Hilda Becher, Stone Breakers, 1987-1992. At Springer and Winckler Galerie, Berlin, Germany.

Georges Rousse, "Chambery 1," 2008. At Springer and Winckler Galerie, Berlin, Germany.

Georges Rousse, "Matadero 1," 2007. At Springer and Winckler Galerie, Berlin, Germany.

Arnold Odermatt, "Ennetmoos" 1979 at Springer and Winckler Galerie, Berlin, Germany.

Arnold Odermatt,from top: "Stans," 1971, "Oberdorf," 1964, "Sans," 1964. Springer and Winckler Galerie, Berlin, Germany.

Ed Ruscha, "Double Light Leak," 2005. At Edward Tyler Nahem, New York, NY.

An overview of the Contemporary wing of The Armory Show.

Stairway to the Modern wing of The Armory Show.

Yunho Kim, "1,000 Different Buses which I met in Berlin #1," 2006-2007 at ONE AND J. Gallery, Seoul, Korea.

Yunho Kim, "1,000 Different Buses which I met in Berlin #1," (detail) 2006-2007 at ONE AND J. Gallery, Seoul, Korea.

Brendan Fowler at Rental Gallery, New York, NY.

Brendan Fowler at , (detail)Rental Gallery, New York, NY.

Matt Chambers, at Rental Gallery, New York, NY

Peter Liversidge, "Proposal for the Armory Show no. 2 Little by little…" 15 different coloured neons, 5 transformers, power supply, 2010 at Ingleby Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland.

Sze Tsung Leong, From the Horizons Series 2006-2007 at Yossi Milo Gallery, New York, NY.

Adam McEwen solo show at Nicole Klagsbrun Gallery, New York, NY.

Richard Mosse, "Miss Piggy Churchill," 2009 at Jack Shainman Gallery, New York, NY.

Ori Gersht, Fix in Time, from Evaders series at Noga Gallery of Contemporary Art, Tel Aviv, Israel.

Garanni Cartell, at Galerie Nikolaus Ruzicska, Salzburg Austria.

Joan Jonas "Volcano Saga" 1985. "Performing Garage, NE" 1987 at Yvon Lambert New York, NY.

Idris Khan "Untitled No 2," 2010 at Victoria Miro, London, United Kingdom.

Doug Aitken, "The handle comes up, the hammer comes down," 2009 at Victoria Miro, London, United Kingdom.

Philip-Lorca diCorcia "100 Polaroids" at David Zwirner Gallery, New York, NY.

Philip-Lorca diCorcia "Cuba," 1999 at David Zwirner Gallery, New York, NY.

Philip-Lorca diCorcia "100 Polaroids" at David Zwirner Gallery, New York, NY.

Music and art interacts at the Armory 2010. Note a great way to get a crowd is to play live music at an art fair.

Tony Matelli, "Sleepwalker," 2008 at Leo Koenig Gallery, New York, NY.

Gottfried Helnwein, "The Murmur of the Innocents 3," 2009 Oil and acrylic on canvas at
Friedman Brendan, New York, NY.

SVA MFA Alum, Yoon, Jeongmee, "Kara-Dayeon and Her Pink Things," on Right, 2007 at Jenkins Johnson Gallery, New York, NY and San Francisco, CA.

Anthony James, Wall Mounted Birch Box, 2009. Birch, aluminum, glass, flourescent lights at Nicholas Robinson Gallery, New York, NY.

Sven Johne "24 Hidden and Abandoned Spaces Beneath the City of New York," 2008 at Klemm’s Gallery, Berlin, Germany.

Adrian Paci, Peter Blum Gallery, New York, NY.

Thomas Ruff, "Mdpn01," 2002 at Lia Rumma, Milan, Italy.

Kader Attia "Poletical," 2009. Light Installation at Galerie Krinzinger, Vienna, Austria.

Darren Almond, Night and Fog (Monchegorsk) (13)," 2007 at White Cube, London, United Kingdom.

Paul Graham, "Untitled (North Dakota (Moonrise at Garage))" from the series “a shimmer of possibility” 2004 at
carlier gebauer, Berlin, Germany.

Paul Graham, "Untitled (North Dakota (Moonrise at Garage))" (detail) from the series “a shimmer of possibility” 2004 at
carlier gebauer, Berlin, Germany.

Drinks flowed in the VIP room at the Armory Show.

Another photographer experimenting with reflections on paintings, Jorma Puranen "Shadows, Reflections and All That Sort of Thing #26" (left) and "Shadows, Reflections and All That Sort of Thing #50" (on the right) both 2009 at Galerie Anhava, Helsinki, Finland.

Patrick Jacobs "Field with Fairy Ring Fungus," 2010 Styerne, Acrylic, Neoprene, Hair, Paper, Polyurethene
Foam, Wood, Steel, ighting, BK7 Glass, 8-inch lens at Pierogi, Brooklyn, NY.