Events and Parties
See 17 of the Most Exclusive Parties During Armory Week
Get ready for a week of non-stop parties and art fairs.
Sarah Cascone
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With the Armory Show and its many satellite fairs rolling into town, art lovers need to ready themselves for the onslaught of parties and events in New York this week.
It’s also a big week for art openings, so if you’re planning to hit the Chelsea gallery circuit on Thursday, know that the most-visited exhibitions stand to include “Sterling Ruby” at Gagosian (March 1), “Ryan McGinley: Early” at Team Gallery (March 2), “Sue Williams” at 303 Gallery (March 2), and “Paul Chan: Rhi Anima” at Green Naftali (March 3).
Here is what not to miss out of the week’s best parties.
Tuesday, February 28
Alexander Mansour, Ieva Laguna at the ADAA Art Show Gala Preview. Courtesy of Paul Porter/BFA.
1. The ADAA Art Show Gala Preview at the Park Avenue Armory
Kicking off the heart of art fair week with elegant aplomb is the ADAA, a favorite stop on the art fair opening circuit thanks to its copious drinks and passed hors d’oeuvres, not to mention the reliably impressive array of blue chip, museum-quality art.
Park Avenue Armory, 643 Park Avenue at East 67th Street, 5 p.m.
Tickets starting at $175.
Camila Guarita and Maria Baibakova at the 2016 Armory Show VIP dinner. Courtesy of BFA.
2. Armory Show Collectors’ Dinner Co-Hosted by Town & Country at Hearst Tower
The Armory Show’s top collectors will gather ahead of the fair’s VIP preview for a seated dinner overlooking Central Park. The VIP guest list is expected to include Marianne Boesky, Simon Castets, Richard Chang, Thelma Golden, Deborah Kass, Thaddeaus Ropac, and Eric Shiner, among other movers and shakers.
Hearst Tower, 44th Floor, 300 West 57th Street, 7 p.m.
Invitation only.
Anne Spalter’s installation at SPRING/BREAK Art Show 2016. Courtesy of SPRING/BREAK.
3. SPRING/BREAK VIP BLACK MIRROR After Party at the MCP Grand Ballroom
Che Morales, Crystal Longo, and Tommy Saleh co-host SPRING/BREAK’s 6th annual VIP after party along with fair co-founders and -directors Ambre Kelly and Andrew Gori. Festivities will include special performances and DJ sets.
MC Grand Ballroom, 311 West 34th Street, 9 p.m.
Invitation only.
Wednesday, March 1
Party in the Museum of Modern Art Garden. Photographer Liam McMullan © Patrick McMullan.
4. The Armory Party 2017 at the Museum of Modern Art
The biggest party of the week is the Armory Show’s benefit bash at MoMA. After the madness that is opening day on the piers, guests will enjoy a last chance to see “A Revolutionary Impulse: The Rise of the Russian Avant-Garde,” closing March 12; “Francis Picabia: Our Heads Are Round so Our Thoughts Can Change Direction,” closing March 19. as well as a live performance by St. Lucia and a DJ set from Helado Negro in the museum’s garden.
Museum of Modern Art, 11 West 53rd Street, 8 p.m. VIP hour, 9 p.m. general admission.
Tickets starting at $150.
David Shrigley, “Problem Guitars.” Courtesy of the artist.
5. David Shrigley and Lee Ranaldo at Spring Place
Ahead of Thursday’s opening of the Independent at Spring Studios, the building will also play host to PROBLEM in NEW YORK, a new “sculptural sound performance” by artist David Shrigley and Sonic Youth’s Lee Ranaldo, at Spring Place. Organized by New York’s Anton Kern Gallery, the piece will see Ranaldo and friends play Shrigley’s sculptures/percussive instruments and one-stringed “Problem Guitars.” (If you miss the performance, the gallery will be showing the instruments at their booth at the fair.)
Spring Place, 50 Varick Street, 8:00.
Invitation only.
Thursday, March 2
Patti Smith performs on stage at the Opera Garnier, in Monaco 2012. ICourtesy of Valery Hache/AFP/Getty Images.
6. Anthology Film Archives Benefit & Auction at Capitale
As Anthology Film Archives looks to complete an ambitious expansion, it has tapped the legendary Patti Smith to give a musical performance. Other special guests include Steve Buscemi, Greta Gerwig, Zosia Mamet, and Michael Stipe, while Simon de Pury will serve as auctioneer.
Capitale, 130 Bowery, 6:30 p.m.
Tickets start at $250.
Christophe Roberts, Livelle Collins, Aaron Camper, Derrick Adams, Crystal Longo, and April Hunt at Fair Trade’s “Brand New” New Year’s Eve party. Courtesy of Robb Jackson.
7. Fair Trade Party: Armory Show Edition at Mr. Wu’s Basement
Derrick Adams and Mickalene Thomas bring their nomadic party series to Chinatown for Armory Week, with performances by Benjamin Bronfman and Controverse and DJ sets by Tigga Calore and April Hunt. Rashaad Newsome, Wardell Milan, Renee Cox, and Zohra Opoku host.
Mr. Wu’s Basement, 93 Bowery, basement level of Wyndham Chinatown, 10 p.m.–2 a.m.
Free with RSVP.
Brendan Fernandes, Clean Labor, limited Edition Seven Intimate Digital Print. Courtesy of the artist and Monique Meloche Gallery, Chicago.
8. Eric Shiner and Sotheby’s Dinner at BMW of Manhattan
The former director of Pittsburgh’s Andy Warhol Museum, now at Sotheby’s, hosts the auction house’s Armory Week dinner, an intimate affair featuring a contemporary dance performance by Brendan Fernandes titled Clean Labor, designed to showcase the oft-overlooked work of cleaning professionals. (The work makes its public debut on March 5, at Williamsburg’s Wythe Hotel.)
Meet at the fair’s VIP Lounge for a special pre-dinner tour of “Platform: An Incident,” Shiner’s special curated sector featuring large-scale artworks and installations, and BMW of Manhattan will shuttle you over to its Manhattan flagship for the second portion of the evening.
Pier 94 and Pier 92, 711 12th Avenue between West 55th Street and West 52nd Street, and BMW of Manhatta, 555 West 57th Street.
Invitation only.
Flex dancer. Courtesy of Charles Roussel/BFA.com
9. In Flex We Trust, Sean Kelly and Reggie “Regg Roc” Gray’s Armory Week Party at Sean Kelly Gallery
Sean Kelly will host an epic dance battle at his gallery in honor of Armory Week, welcoming Reggie “Regg Roc” Gray, a pioneer of Flex dance—the contortionist post-modern street dance style that emerged in Jamaica in the 1990s—for a night billed as a “cross-cultural celebration of art, music and social activism.” Drinks by Absolut Elyx.
Sean Kelly Gallery, 475 10th Avenue, at West 36th Street, 7:30 p.m.–10:30 p.m. Invitation only.
Friday, March 3
Tali Lennox at last year’s Armory Show Focus Africa party. Courtesy of BFA.
10. The Armory Arts Party at the Soho Grand Library
The Armory Show is rebranding its traditional Young Collectors night to include a more diverse crowd of artists, influencers, and other young art world professionals. Absolut Elyx is sponsoring this one also, so expect free-flowing cocktails.
Soho Grand Hotel, Library Bar, 310 West Broadway, 8 p.m.–11 p.m.
Invitation only.
Sigrid Calon, LetterLust XL (2013). Courtesy of the artist.
11. Supergeometric Launch Party at Uniqlo
Uniqlo unveils its new Supergeometric line of apparel, accessories, and special editions, inspired by the Museum of Modern Art and “masters of geometric form.” Actress Taryn Manning will DJ, and graphic artist Sigrid Calon will make a “special appearance.”
Uniqlo, 666 5th Avenue, 6 p.m.–9 p.m.
Free with RSVP.
Guggenheim Art After Dark party. Courtesy of the Guggenheim.
12. Art After Dark at the Guggenheim Museum
The Guggenheim’s seasonal Art After Dark series returns just in time for Armory Week, offering after hours to current exhibitions “Visionaries:Creating a Modern Guggenheim” and “Tales of Our Time,” a DJ set from Kitty Cash and special guests.
Guggenheim Museum, 1071 5th Avenue, between East 88th and 89th Streets, 8 p.m. exclusive members’ hour, 9 p.m. general admission.
$25 (sold out), free for members
The SCOPE After Party. Courtesy of SCOPE.
13. SCOPE Official Party at Lavo Nightclub
SCOPE hosts its end-of-the-week blowout, featuring DJ sets from Nick Hook and Mike Deuce, and drinks from Illegal Mezcal, at Lavo.
Lavo Nightclub, 39 East 58th Street, 8:30 p.m.–11 p.m.
Free with RSVP.
NADAWAVE 2014. Courtesy of NADA.
14. NADAWAVE: The Official After Party for NADA New York at the Wu-Room
The newest addition to the Armory landscape, NADA, which has decamped from Frieze Week, comes with an after party in tow, with musical performances by br0nz3_g0dd3ss, Geng, Don Christian, Night Doll, and Richard Kennedy.
The Wu-Room, 93 Bowery, 10 p.m.–late
Museum of Sex. Courtesy of Wikipedia.
15. Night Fever: Celebrating VOLTA NY at the Museum of Sex
A dual purpose after party is being held in honor of ten years of Solo Focus at VOLTA NY as well as the Museum of Sex’s “Night Fever: New York Disco 1977–1979, The Bill Bernstein Photographs.”
Museum of Sex, 233 5th Ave, 7 p.m.–12 a.m.
Free with RSVP.
Guests pose with a Mark Leckey sculpture at the Night at the Museum event at MoMA PS1, New York City, on November 19, 2016. Courtesy of Charles Roussel.
16. Night at the Museum: Mark Leckey Closing Party at MoMA PS1
This weekend marks your final chance to see “Mark Leckey: Containers and Their Drivers,” which closes March 5, so MoMA PS1 is staying open late on Friday. In addition to serving up gin and tonics and DJ sets by Matthew Higgs and James Ferraro, the museum is promising a live activation by the artist of his British nightlife-inspired work.
MoMA PS1, 22-25 Jackson Avenue, Long Island City, 8 p.m.–12 a.m.
Saturday, March 4
Guests dancing at last year’s Armory Show Focus Africa party. Courtesy of BFA.
17. The Armory Show Last Call at Happy Endings
Celebrate making it through the art fair slog by knocking back a few drinks—it’s a cash bar—and listening to the sounds of Felipe S., Tolga Brogan, and Hellsummer at Happy Ending, host of the official Armory Show after party.
Happy Ending, 302 Broome Street, 9:30 p.m.–4 a.m.
Free.
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