Attending the Armory Show has always been an annual “end of winter” art event, a wardrobe challenge as to whether you were going to trample in the March snow or stagger through a rare warm afternoon to Piers 92 and 94 in NY, regardless of seeing some of the most famed and emerging galleries showing standout works. It was the last gathering of 2020 in some respects, with Covid extending its global grip just the week after. The Armory Live program was able to sustain a sense of community over the ensuing months, but there is still something incomparable about seeing art in person. 

It’s still only the next year, and the classic Armory Show is back, albeit in a new season and location.  The Armory will set camp at its new home, the Javits Center, kicking off the fall art season with a solid stable of past masters and those of-the-moment artists who have solidified our love for the fair. From the David Zwirners to one of our favorite galleries, such as The Hole and 1969, the Armory straddles the line of historic and contemporary, looking back, showcasing the present and gazing into the future. As we continue conversations about what the function of a good art fair should be, or even what gathering around the arts can look like once again, it is reassuring to be confident that the Armory will usher us into this new era. They have long been a staple, as its original inception in 1994 at the Gramercy Park Hotel reminds us of just how immense and global the idea of an art fair has truly become. It’s good to be back at the gateway of New York. —Evan Pricco