The Art Newspaper

Armory enters modern market

By The Art Newspaper. Market, Issue 192, June 2008
Published online: 01 June 2008

Merchandise Mart Properties Inc (MMPI) is expanding its Armory art fair onto a second pier for the March 2009 edition. This will host The Armory Show—Modern, a fair for about 70 modern art exhibitors, ending the event’s ten-year policy of only offering contemporary art. Contemporary works will continue to be sold on the Hudson River’s Pier 94 with modern work going to the adjacent Pier 92. As well as adding 30,000 sq. ft for 2009, the full $100m renovation (expected to begin in late 2009 and to take 18 months to finish) will include a 9,300 sq. ft winter garden, retail and food service, and a 60,000 sq. ft back-of-the-house operation centre. This increases the total exhibition space to 355,000 sq. ft, up from its current 175,000 sq. ft C.P.