The Park Avenue Armory, New York City. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

The Art Dealers Association of America’s (ADAA) 27th annual Art Show opened to the public on Wednesday, March 4, 2015. The ADAA Art Show’s kick-off marks the beginning of New York City's Armory Week -- a highly-anticipated, multifaceted art event that includes a dizzying array of fairs, gallery exhibitions, and related happenings.

Winold Reiss (1886–1953) "Interpretation of Harlem Jazz I," 1925. Ink on paper, 19 7/8 x 14 7/8 in. Signed (at lower left): WINOLD / REISS. Hirschl and Adler Galleries.

Held at the historic Park Avenue Armory, this year’s ADAA Art Show features thoughtfully curated solo, two-person, and thematic exhibitions organized by 72 of the country’s leading art dealers. Featuring both modern masters and cutting-edge contemporary works in all media, the show allows exhibitors to emphasize their gallery’s vision through these finely curated exhibitions. Highlights include Thomas Colville Fine Art’s (Guilford, Connecticut) presentation of works by James Abbott McNeill Whistler and other artists who were influenced by the late nineteenth-century painter; Hirschl & Adler Galleries’ (New York, New York) exploration of Jazz Age Modernism, which includes works by Winold Reiss, Romare Bearden, Stuart Davis, and others; Meredith Ward Fine Art’s (New York, New York) exhibition of works by the early American modernist John Marin; James Goodman Gallery’s (New York, New York/Buffalo, New York) presentation of works by modern and contemporary masters, including Milton Avery, Jean Arp, Alexander Calder, Jean Dubuffet, Joan Miro, Henri Matisse, and Pablo Picasso; Matthew Marks Gallery’s (New York, New York/Los Angeles, California) selection of works by Jasper Johns, Fischli and Weiss, Robert Gober, Ellsworth Kelly, Brice Marden, Charles Ray, and more; Menconi and Schoelkopf Fine Art’s (New York, New York) historical survey of early modernist works from the Ashcan School to the New York School; Manny Silverman Gallery’s (Los Angeles, California) exhibition of works by the Abstract Expressionist Sam Francis; and Allan Stone Projects’ (New York, New York) presentation of figurative works by the American modernist John D. Graham.

On Friday, March, 6, 2015, New York City Cultural Affairs Commissioner, Tom Finkelpearl, will deliver a keynote speech at the show. Finkelpearl will discuss the city’s new cultural diversity initiative, which launched in January 2015. The initiative aims to help art institutions better serve audiences from an increasingly wide variety of backgrounds. According to a press release from the ADAA, Finkelpearl said, “ Working with our partners at cultural organizations and in the funding community, we are confident that we will find strategies to foster a more equitable cultural landscape for the next generation of artists, administrators, and audiences.”

James Abbott McNeill Whistler (American 1834-1903) "Women and Children outside a Brittany Shop," circa 1888. Watercolor on linen 5 x 8 1/2 inches. Thomas Colville Fine Art.

The ADAA Art Show, which is the country’s longest running fine art fair, will benefit the Henry Street Settlement -- one of New York City’s most effective social services agencies. The show will run through Sunday, March 8, 2015.

Founded in 1962, the ADAA is a non-profit membership organization of more than 180 of the nation’s leading galleries in the fine arts. The association seeks to “promote the highest standards of connoisseurship, scholarship and ethical practice within the profession.”