ARTFEED — Contemporary Art Intelligence

Armory Show 2009 Opens Amid Recession with Vik Muniz's 'Rebus' at MoMA

festival-fair · 2026-04-23

The Armory Show 2009 opened, with artcritical editor David Cohen providing a first-day weigh-in. The fair's strategy for coping with the recession is to expand and behave with nonchalance. Meanwhile, artist Vik Muniz's project 'Rebus' at MoMA rethinks the curator-as-artist trend and offers a humorous take on the museum's collection.

Key facts

  • The Armory Show 2009 opened today.
  • artcritical editor David Cohen was present with his iPhone.
  • The fair's recession strategy is to expand and act nonchalant.
  • Vik Muniz conceived and spearheaded 'Rebus'.
  • 'Rebus' made the writer rethink the curator-as-artist trend.
  • 'Rebus' offered new perspectives on MoMA's collection.
  • The project elicited laughter from the writer.

Entities

Artists

  • Vik Muniz

Institutions

  • artcritical
  • MoMA
  • The Armory Show

Locations

  • New York City

Sources