Here’s What (Dealers Said) Sold at the Armory Show
If collectors had any concerns about the wars or inflation, they did not seem to share them at the New York fair, where the mood was almost too serene.
The world outside the Armory Show has been turbulent this week with soaring oil and food prices, as well as mortgage rates topping 7%. This has potentially led the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates again next month. President Trump and other world leaders engaged in verbal sparring at the United Nations regarding the Iran War, but a resolution to end the conflict fell short in the Senate.
In contrast, the Armory Show at the Javits Center exhibited a more tranquil atmosphere. Museum curators, art advisors, and high-net-worth individuals were among the attendees browsing the booths of New York's premier art fair on Thursday. VIPs, including celebrities like Jodie Foster, David Alan Grier, Piper Perabo, Paul Rudd, and Karl-Anthony Towns, also visited the event.
Seller Michael Borghi claimed that even with the turmoil in the outside world, the collectors attending the fair were not worried. He recounted that a dealer at Hollis Taggart sold an abstract Stuart Davis painting for more than $100,000 without mentioning any concerns from potential buyers. Sales on the first day of the fair appeared steady, with Michael Rosenfeld Gallery selling a Joan Mitchell painting for over $2 million, Edwynn Houk Gallery selling a László Moholy-Nagy gelatin silver print for $320,000, Gazelli Art House selling a Lilly Fenichel canvas to a European museum for $200,000, Norr Cohan selling Yinka Shonibare's "The Landscape Project (Cotton Plantation)" for more than $180,000, Galerie Maximillian selling Rashid Johnson's "Untitled (Large Mosaic)" (2025) for about $175,000, and 303 Gallery selling two Rob Pruitt paintings for $155,000 each, and a Doug Aitken lightbox for $150,000.
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