The Armory Show 2023: designboom’s guide to new york’s art fair

The Armory Show returns for 2023

Within New York’s Javits Center, The Armory Show returns for 2023, continuing to make its mark as a cornerstone art event in one of the worlds most creative cities. Through elevated presentations, thoughtful programming, curatorial leadership, meaningful institutional partnerships, and engaging public art activations, the art fair makes a crucial contribution to New York’s cultural reputation. The Armory Show’s doors open for a VIP preview September 7, and welcomes the public September 8 – 10.

Book your tickets to The Armory Show 2023; here!

The Armory Show returns for 2023, continuing to make its mark as a cornerstone art event in New York

all images courtesy of The Armory Show

decades of elevating new york’s art market

In 1994, when four New York art dealers had the ambitious goal of creating a new art fair to support their artists and attract global attention, they never could have foreseen the success that The Armory Show would go on to have. That groundbreaking cultural moment has since become vital to the New York art market and beyond. At the 2023 event, 225 galleries exhibit work representing over 35 countries.

at the 2023 event, 225 galleries exhibit work representing over 35 countries

different sections highlight artworks of all types

The different sections of The Armory Show works to spotlight artworks of all sorts, which have each followed different paths to achieve their inclusion at the art fair. In ‘Galleries’, leading contemporary art museums make up the show’s core section, showcasing their most noteworthy pieces. The ‘Solo’ section focuses on intimate presentations of work by a single emerging, established, or historic artist working in the 20th or 21st century. ‘Focus’ sheds light on emergent and established voices whose work is often outside the mainstream, including those who draw on cultural connections to tether material, image, and form in unexpected ways. ‘Presents’ spotlights emerging galleries no more than ten years old, while ‘Platform’ is dedicated to large-scale installations and site-specific works under the theme of ‘Rewriting Histories’.

The Armory Show’s doors open for a VIP preview September 7, and welcomes the public September 8 – 10

the armory show composes team of curatorial experts

To curate the significant and vast art display, The Armory Show has assembled a team of seasoned experts in the field of contemporary art curation. Eva Respini, Deputy Director and Director of Curatorial Programs at Vancouver Art Gallery, curates the Platform section. Candice Hopkins, Director and Chief Curator of Forge Project, curates the Focus section; and Adrienne Edwards, Engell Speyer Family Curator and Director of Curatorial Affairs at the Whitney Museum of American Art, chairs the sixth annual Curatorial Leadership Summit.

The Armory Show takes place within New York’s Javits Center