The Armory Show, in the cavernous crystal halls of the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, is enormous, bringing together, in this year’s edition, nearly 250 galleries from more than 30 countries. (The mega-galleries don’t generally participate, but many small and midsize Manhattan galleries do.) What makes it more overwhelming still is that most of those exhibitors, having made significant investments to be here, are doing their best to stand out without rocking the boat. The vibe is noisy but conservative, with plenty of bright, bouncy color and most booths showing a little of everything.
But the show remains a big deal for the artists, particularly if they’re not based in New York. Exhibiting in the city’s largest art fair, during the art world’s busiest week, may be the most efficient way to an audience there is. This year, we went looking for the dozen that most stayed with us, but of course there are hundreds more, all hoping to catch your eye.
Stan Dann (Booth 234, Seven Sisters)
Working in the San Francisco Bay Area after an earlier career in advertising and graphic design, Stan Dann (1931-2013) made some of the weirdest wooden reliefs I’ve ever seen. Still lifes, landscapes, domestic scenes and abstract fever dreams rendered in bulbous, brightly colored wooden puzzle pieces, they look as if you’d find them in a Gahan Wilson cartoon, or at the bottom of an absinthe bottle.