HELL'S KITCHEN — Mayor Michael Bloomberg joined luminaries from the city's art world on Wednesday morning to kick off the 2013 Armory Show, an annual showcase of modern and avant-garde art at Pier 94 and 94.
Founded in 1994, the Armory Show pays tribute to a 1913 art exhibition which brought European avante-garde artists like Pablo Picasso and Marcel Duchamp to American shores for the first time. This year's show, which runs from March 7 to 10, features work from more than 200 galleries and roughly 1000 artists.
"I think it did pave the way for New York City to become what it is today, which is the center of the modern art world," Bloomberg said.
The festival leads a week-long celebration of the arts at museums, festivals and galleries across the city, including The Art Show at the Park Avenue Armory. Armory Arts Week runs at venues around the city until March 10.
Bloomberg said that the week of events would bring in roughly 66,000 attendees around the city, and contribute over $50 million to the local economy.
"It's a lot of fun and it's great for the economy," he said.
This year's festival focuses on artists and works from the United States, including two commissioned limited edition pieces by performance artist Liz Magic Laser.
"This is the centennial of the avante-garde in the USA," said Noah Horowitz, the show's executive director.
The Armory Show runs from March 7 to 10 at Pier 92 and 94, at West 55th Street and the Hudson River. Admission is $30 a day, or $15 a day for students and seniors. A four-day "run of the show" pass is $60.
