Artsy: a $2 million Joan Mitchell leads opening sales at the Armory Show

Arun Kakar's report from the Armory Show's VIP day: 242 exhibitors at the Javits Center and dealers reporting fast sales in the first hours. Michael Rosenfeld Gallery sold a Joan Mitchell painting for over $2 million to a private collection, with Richmond Barthé and Louise Nevelson works going in the $100,000 to $250,000 range. Galerie Maximillian placed a Rashid Johnson at $175,000, Mennour nearly sold out seven Dhewadi Hadjab paintings at $110,000 each, and Nara Roesler sold a Sheila Hicks textile at $260,000. The fair runs through 28 September in four sections.

What I take from it. The Armory is a subway ride from the studio and a different planet in price. But the pattern is the same one I see on a much smaller scale: when a painting is in front of the right person, in a room, it sells in the first hour or it doesn't. The photographs on the site are the second-best thing; the room view on each product page is my attempt to close the gap.

Read the full story at Artsy — Arun Kakar, 25 September 2026.