W hen New York's Armory Show art fair started out back in 1994, it was a simple affair. At a news conference last week in the city, one of the four founders, Paul Morris, described how works shown the first year were hung on the walls or laid out on the beds of the small Gramercy Hotel.

Then called The Gramercy International Contemporary Art Fair, Armory was a "fun and funky" happening to entertain art insiders after the art market had collapsed in the early years of the decade. This past week, the elite of the art world gathered from March 27 to 30 for the 10th edition of what that original event has spawned.

Today the fair is markedly different. In July 2007, Armory became part of the Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc., a powerhouse in the trade-show and convention business. Last year, attendance rose to 52,000 visitors, with total sales exceeding $85 million — figures the organizers are expecting to be even higher this year.