For adventurous art collectors, auctions offer the kind of adrenalin rush that is largely missing from art fairs, now having their spring run in New York through the weekend. Unless you're on the V.I.P. preview track and can elbow your way in early to stake a claim on a hot property, fair going can be more like a spectator sport. But this spring, New York's major auction houses have timed sales to run between the Armory Show weekend and the AIPAD Photography Show, which opens Thursday, April 10th.

Above: John Waters speaking at The Armory Show Press Conference on 3/26. Photo © Andrew Darlow/imaging buffet.com, used with permission.

As reported by Marion Maneker in today's New York Sun, auctions offer a more democratic platform for buyers. "In today's marketplace," she writes, "art is rationed in one of two ways. Dealers have time on their side and can keep collectors on waiting lists. Auction houses rely on prices: The highest bidder wins."

Preview shows are on now at Phillips de Pury, Christie's and Sotheby's, which hold their auctions next Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. Offerings run from hot contemporary artists Damien Hirst, Terence Koh, and Steve Parrino at Phillips; Keith Haring, Kenny Scharf, and Pop star George Condo at Sotheby's; with David Smith bronzes, Frank Stella drawings, and works by Robert Smithson at Christie's.

Images from Blind Spot, left to right: Issue 2: Jack Pierson Provincetown, MA, Summer 1993; Issue 4: Jeff Wall A Sudden Gust of Wind (After Hokusai); Issue 37: Hannah Whitaker (Untitled).

For photography collectors, the Blind Spot benefit auction will be previewed at David Zwirner Gallery from April 8^th to 10^th, when the live and silent auctions take place starting at 6:00 pm. Rick Wester will be at the gavel, promising a lively sale of work from a stellar roster of contemporary and 20th century names, including Richard Misrach, Ed Ruscha, Jack Pierson, and Katy Grannon. On-line bidding continues through April 8; some of the most desirable items will enter the live auction with the on-line closing bid the starting figure. The auction celebrates the non-profit photo-based publisher's 15^th anniversary.