The Armory Show 2009 in Photos

Christian Holstad, "Receiver" (Katie Sokoler/Gothamist)

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For any gluttons out there who thought The Armory Show was just too damn small, this year the annual extravaganza has expanded to include a second giant pier, where work from more established (and in some cases deceased) artists will complement the more contemporary fare in the main space. Called "Armory Modern," the second pier includes work from such artists as Basquiat, Arbus, and Miró, complemented by less famous but still noteworthy names, like photographer Amy Stein, Mike and Doug Starn, and mesmerizing kinetic sculptor Elias Crespin.

Overall, the show is as deliriously overwhelming as ever, with the usual small percentage of memorable work scattered throughout the vast shopping mall of unremarkable crap. The big change this year, obviously, is "the economy," a pair of words that seemed to be sloughing from everyone's lips at last night's preview. Nevertheless, 243 plucky exhibitors from 22 countries will be optimistically occupying booths in the cavernous space through Sunday night, and it'd be nice if you could swing by this weekend and support your struggling art dealer. Admission costs $30; the piers are located at 55th Street on the Hudson River.

And along with The Armory Show, New York also gets Armory Arts Week. That includes a second, Armory-related Volta exhibit in Chelsea entitled "Age of Anxiety," which emphasizes regions currently underexposed by the art world (Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Latin America). And there are a number of "satellite fairs" around town this week, such as the Fountain New York "guerrilla-style Anti-Art Fair" on Pier 66 and Scope New York, which features an expansive program of film and live music to go with the art, housed in a big pavilion at Lincoln Center.