"Last week, some $2.2 billion worth of art was sold in a string of evening auctions that grabbed headlines. The art market media declared a once-again "healthy" market reemerging from a protracted slump. "The entire week becomes a choreographed attempt to convince the world that everything is fine, that the market is strong, that the system still works," writes artist Damien Davis in our top piece this week. "But everything is not fine. And most of the people making the work that keeps this machine running know it.""
"While Davis writes from the perspective of the 99% of artists who don't partake in this blue-chip carnival, Marc Straus writes as a veteran art dealer who's been around the auction block many times. In an eye-opening essay, he explains why the market is in a much worse shape than many realize, citing the closure of at least 60 art galleries in recent years."
"Meanwhile, the world keeps turning, and another Thanksgiving came upon us in the United States. This year, amid high levels of political and social unease, we decided to put together a feel-good list of all the things we're grateful for in the art world. It ranges from thoughtful rehangs and no-strings-attached grants to gallery dogs and desserts at a specific museum cafe. Enjoy it."
Some $2.2 billion of art sold at evening auctions, and art market media portrayed a renewed "healthy" market. Many artists view the sales as an exclusionary spectacle that benefits a tiny elite while most creators struggle. Damien Davis frames the divide from the perspective of the 99% of artists who do not partake in blue-chip sales. Marc Straus, a veteran dealer, contends the market is worse than perceived, noting at least 60 gallery closures in recent years. The U.S. named its 2026 Venice Biennale representative to tepid reactions, and local arts politics and critic reviews continue to drive conversation.
Read at Hyperallergic
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