Photo by volcanojw

Looks like 300,000 square feet won’t suffice for Artomatic, the massive art exhibition that in May is scheduled to open its first event in three years. The expo, which was originally set to be held inside the sprawling Transwestern Presidential Tower at 2511 South Clark Street in Arlington, will now take place a few blocks away 1851 South Bell Street.

The new venue, which is owned by Vornado/Charles E. Smith, is 50,000 square feet larger than the original location, according to an Artomatic press release. Vornado is giving Artomatic the building to use as a sendoff for the structure, which will then be replaced by a new 24-story office building called 1900 Crystal Drive.

Since 2009, Artomatic had been missing in action, its only major event in that span was to lend its name to an event in Frederick, Md. In Artomatic’s absence, new, more-exclusive art shows arrived in D.C. Last year saw the debut of the (e)merge art fair and the concurrent But Is it Art? and Submerge events. Artomatic is expansive and offers free admission. The (e)merge fair was far more selective and charged for entry.

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