NEW YORK, NY.- The Armory Show closed on Sunday, March 11 with outstanding and consistent sales ranging from four to seven figures throughout the week, and a robust turnout of collectors from across the United States. Exhibitors noted the significant presence of curators and museum patron groups during the fair, in addition to numerous institutional acquisitions.

The 2018 edition debuted a new layout, highlighted by the expanded Focus section and new Town Square on Pier 92. The fair’s improved layout, designed by Bade Stageberg Cox, as well as the decision to reduce the number of exhibitors, was positively received by collectors and exhibitors alike.

Now in its 24th year, this year’s edition featured 198 galleries from 31 countries, with 66 new exhibitors, including several who have returned after years of absence, including Galerie Eigen + Art (Berlin), Gagosian (New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, London, Paris, Rome, Athens, Geneva, Hong Kong), Perrotin (New York, Paris, Hong Kong, Seoul, Tokyo), Regen Projects (Los Angeles) and Van Doren Waxter (New York).

Four galleries that previously participated in Presents, graduated to Galleries, the fair’s main section: espaivisor (Valencia), Daniel Faria Gallery (Toronto), Mariane Ibrahim Gallery (Seattle) and Nicodim Gallery (Los Angeles).

Focus, curated by Gabriel Ritter, Curator and Head of Contemporary Art at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, featured 28 international galleries with solo or dual-artist presentations. Platform, curated by Jen Mergel, former senior curator of contemporary art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, staged 15 large-scale and site-responsive works throughout the fair.

Nicole Berry, Executive Director, The Armory Show, remarks: “The 2018 Armory Show was enthusiastically received and a critical success. An enhanced visitor experience resulted from layout improvements such as a more open floorplan, additional lounge areas and site-responsive works that made up Jen Mergel’s Platform section. A mindful rebalancing that favored larger booth size over exhibitor count in the Galleries section elevated the overall quality of presentations at the fair. Gabriel Ritter’s Focus section transformed the feel of Pier 92 adding a new energy. Many visitors also praised the high quality of work in the Insights section. In addition to the extraordinary art on display, the inaugural Curatorial Leadership Summit was a celebrated addition bringing over 75 curators and many of their patrons to the fair. Exhibitors and collectors alike said that this was the best Armory Show in years. We look forward to planning our 25th anniversary next year.”

Approximately 65,000 visitors attended the fair from March 7 through March 11, including notable patrons and trustees from over 140 cultural institutions including: Albright-Knox Art Gallery; The Art Institute of Chicago; Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston; Centre Pompidou; Dallas Museum of Art; Denver Art Museum; Hammer Museum; Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden; Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Nasher Sculpture Garden; Palais de Tokyo; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; Serpentine Galleries; Tate, London; Walker Art Center and Whitechapel Gallery.

Notable attendees included: Richard Armstrong, Bill Arning, Swizz Beatz, Franco and Roberta Calarota, Maurizio Cattelan, Timothée Chalamet, Richard Chang, Lori and Alexandre Chemla, Patrick and Lindsey Collins, Sofia Coppola, Joel and Zoe Dictrow, Bob and Renee Drake, Michael Eisner, Tom Finkelpearl, Ella Fontanals-Cisneros, Charlotte Ford, James Franco, Vincent and Shelley Fremont, Glenn Fuhrman, Bill Gautreaux, Massimiliano Gioni, Thelma Golden, Helyn Goldenberg and Michael Alper, Susan Goodman and Rod Lubeznik, Camila Yunes Guarita, Agnes Gund, Sandra Hegedus, Kim Heirston, Marguerite Hoffman, Susan and Michael Hort, Anne Huntington, Michael Xufu Huang, Jason Isaacs, Pamela Joyner, JR, Alicia Keys, Ali Khadra, Pulane Kingston, Jill and Peter Kraus, Teri and Jeff Kurz, Trey and Jenny Laird, Aaron and Barbara Levine, Adam Lindemann, Glenn Lowry, Bernard Lumpkin, Sherry and Joel Mallin, Steve Martin, Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mette-Marit, Yusaku Mezawa, Marilyn Minter, Nancy and Bob Mollers, Frank Moore, Julianne Moore, Mike Myers, Hans Ulrich Obrist, Anne Pasternak, Catherine Petitgas, Ron and Ann Pizzuti, Thibault Poutrel, Chris Rock, Mark and Renee Rockefeller, Lorenzo Rodriguez, Alan and Rebecca Ross, Don and Mera Rubell, Paul Rudd, Beth Rudin de Woody, Susan Sarandon, Alan Schwartz, Esther Seinjet, Andres Serrano, Alain Servais, Carole Server and Oliver Frankel, Yinka Shonibare MBE, Sun Shoujun, Raf Simons, Jennifer Soros, Alexander Wang, Nell Diamond Wasserman and Teddy Wasserman, John Waters, Adam Weinberg, Margaret Wu, and Anita Zabludowicz.

The inaugural Curatorial Leadership Summit, chaired by Naomi Beckwith, Marilyn and Larry Fields Curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, convened over 75 curators for a daylong program that aimed to foster innovation in the curatorial landscape. Notable attendees included: Katherine Brinson, Curator, Contemporary Art, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum; Cathleen Chaffee, Chief Curator, Albright-Knox Art Gallery; Peter Eleey, Chief Curator, MoMA PS1; Alex Gartenfeld, Deputy Director and Chief Curator, Institute of Contemporary Art Miami; Jenny Gheith, Assistant Curator of Painting and Sculpture, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; Rebecca R. Hart, Polly and Mark Addison Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, Denver Art Museum; Ruba Katrib, Curator, MoMA PS1; Helen Molesworth, Chief Curator, Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; Heather Pesanti, Chief Curator and Director of Curatorial Affairs, The Contemporary Austin; Eva Respini, Barbara Lee Chief Curator, Institute of Contemporary Art Boston; Veronica Roberts, Curator, Modern and Contemporary Art, Blanton Museum of Art; Lauren Haynes, Curator, Contemporary Art, Crystal Bridges Museum of Art; and Zoe Whitley, Curator, International Art, Tate Modern.

blank projects (Cape Town) was the winner of the Presents Booth Prize, supported by Athena Art Finance. By a majority decision, the international jury awarded blank projects a $10,000 prize for its exemplary presentation of Igshaan Adams and Cinga Samson.

The jury was comprised of international collectors and curators: Naomi Beckwith, Marilyn and Larry Fields Curator at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago; Glenn Fuhrman, Collector and Founder of FLAG Art Foundation; Marguerite Hoffman, Collector; and Pamela Joyner, Collector and Philanthropist.

Exhibitors shared their remarks:

Perrotin, New York, Paris, Hong Kong, Seoul, Tokyo (Galleries section): “We presented a dual artist show and we are very happy with the reaction from the public. Sales were great—twelve works were sold and six are on reserve. We’re excited to return to The Armory Show, having last done it 2011. With our new 2,500 sq. ft. space in the LES, it was important to re-develop our relationship with the city. Happy it was possible to synchronize our gallery opening with Armory week.” — Emmanuel Perrotin

Lévy Gorvy, New York, London, Geneva (Focus section): “We are so delighted to have participated in The Armory Show for the second year. Our solo booth presentation of new works by Karin Schneider has been incredibly well received, with strong interest and support from important collectors, curators, and museums. As we experienced last year with our sold out Senga Nengudi booth, we placed all fourteen of Karin’s works in key New York and international collections. The gallery is now in discussions to organize a solo show for the artist in Asia.” — Emilio Steinberger, Senior Partner

Lisson Gallery, London, New York (Galleries section): "The Armory week was a successful week for the gallery. The fair usually brings new and long-standing clients to the city, and this year continued the trend, despite the weather on the fair's opening day. In addition to strong sales on the booth by a range of gallery artists, we were pleased at the momentum surrounding the exhibitions in our galleries by Ted Stamm and Laure Prouvost. It is both artists' inaugural exhibitions with the gallery, and they are off to a great start with significant sales and strong interest." — Alex Logsdail, International Director