What Sold at The Armory Show 2025

The Armory Show 2025 concluded on September 7th after a steady weekend of sales. The fair, which opened with its VIP day on September 4th, hosted more than 230 exhibitors from 35 countries in New York’s Javits Center. Some 50,000 visitors attended overall, according to figures from the fair.

This year’s edition of the fair was The Armory Show’s second under the full ownership of the fair conglomerate Frieze and its 31st overall. A buzzy atmosphere throughout was fueled by bold curatorial gambits, especially at the numerous booths in the fair’s Presents section dedicated to solo or dual artist presentations from emerging galleries.

“A really good indicator of the general optimism in the air is the strength of the presentations that exhibitors have brought to the fair this year,” Kyla McMillan, director of The Armory Show, told Artsy during the fair’s VIP day.

Indeed, the quality of presentations was also matched by an engaged audience, with many dealers reporting that the crowd at this year’s fair was noticeably younger than those at previous editions. “This year we witnessed a vibrant shift, with many New Yorkers, younger generations, curators, and engaged voices gathering in great numbers,” said Anne-Claudie Coric, executive director at Templon. “In such uncertain times, it is deeply invigorating to see that the appetite for art, and the integrity of artistic creation, remain wholly alive.”

This year’s fair also welcomed 55 debuting galleries including London’s Saatchi Yates, Portland-founded ILY2, and nomadic gallery Superposition. Some 20 galleries also returned to the fair after hiatuses, including heavyweight names such as Esther Schipper, Tanya Bonakdar, and White Cube.

“Returning to The Armory Show for the first time in more than 30 years—now with Kyla leading the way—was incredibly meaningful,” said Courtney Willis Blair, managing director of White Cube U.S. “Alongside strong sales, we were especially encouraged by the many thoughtful conversations we had with curators, museum leaders, and collectors alike—a testament to Kyla’s vision.”

From the fair’s VIP day, dealers reported strong momentum, particularly towards works at lower price points. Many galleries working at these levels saw brisk interest from collectors, and several reported sold-out booths, including South Africa’s WHATIFTHEWORLD and Montreal’s Pangée.

For higher priced works, sales came at a measured pace. Reported transactions in the six-figure price range were led by two Fritz Scholder paintings, which sold for $375,000 apiece at Casterline|Goodman Gallery’s booth. Galleria Lorcan O’Neill also reported selling a work for $1 million, but it declined to specify the name of the piece.

Here, we round up the key sales reported by galleries at the Armory Show 2025.

Berggruen Gallery sold a John Alexander painting and a Heather Day work. The gallery also sold three Darren Waterston paintings and a painting by Nicasio Fernandez.