The Armory Show 2009 expands with secondary market section amid recession

The Armory Show 2009 opened today with significant expansion despite economic downturn. The contemporary art fair added thousands of square feet of secondary-market works at Pier 92, described officially as "Modern" and "historically significant" pieces. David Cohen of artcritical attended the opening day, noting the fair's nonchalant response to recession pressures. At Pier 94, White Cube of London presented high-profile works including Damien Hirst's dot painting, Sarah Morris's abstraction, and Sam Taylor-Wood's photograph. Latin American artist Doris Salcedo exhibited a stainless steel chair without a back, while Antony Gormley displayed a metal bench pierced with spiky holes. Patricia Ortiz Monasterio of Mexico City's OMR gallery spoke candidly about sales expectations, showing Peruvian-born artist Aldo Chaparro's text sculptures reading "Chaos" and "Vertigo." The Starn Twins presented a video installation at Stockholm's Wetterling Gallery featuring bamboo construction and deconstruction. Notable secondary market works included a Vuillard and Jean-Michel Basquiat at Boulakia of Paris's booth, Louise Nevelson at Locks of Philadelphia, Sean Scully at Hackett-Freedman of San Francisco, and Philip Guston from his Woodstock years at James Goodman. The fair maintained its Park Avenue location with Sanford Smith's house management. Additional coverage included brief visits to Pulse and Volta fairs.