The standard joke at the Armory Show, held in New York’s Jacob Javits Convention Center, is that the event takes place too early, when everyone is still trying to eke out a few more days of summer vacation, or preoccupied with getting kids back into school. Oddly, this year, there was less of that why do we have to do this grousing. Throughout the fair’s two days and the run of Thursday night openings, I ran into art advisors, dealers, and collectors who were upbeat but realistic. Half a dozen different art advisors told me they had been busy placing work for clients surprisingly late into the summer, or that they had been involved in significant transactions in May and June. The fall was kicking off with a sense of momentum, and the effect on the mood was noticeable after the doldrums of the past year.