Art Fairs

12 Oct Art Fairs

Tyler over at MAN points out that it’s Art Fair time again and goes on to describe how fairs are the new way to discover artists and that the critics need to get onboard. Let’s hope they don’t drink the Kool-Aid.

1. The artists that are "discovered" at art fairs are the artists that sell, preferably to the big collectors. To use his Salon analogy, if Van Gogh were to show at Miami he would be ignored because he didn’t sell. Guston too for that matter, I could go on.

2. Working in the corporate world I read every day how some new CEO/CFO etc. is being indicted for insider trading, back dating options, etc., etc. If they only knew the level of insider trading that goes on in the art world. Big Collector buys artist, Museum shows artist, Collector donates piece to museum, sells other works by same artist at auction and then starts the process all over again. It’s pretty simple to follow.

3. The art fair is the place now where all the power people come together to get it done. At least the Art World is smart enough to do it on the beach rather than some smokey back room somewhere. Although that might happen, ask Alfred Taubman.

4. The critic is the last line of defense from the art world becoming a total sham. Time to stand up and act like it.