The Easel

19th December 2017

These Stunning A.I. Tools Are About to Change the Art World

Gabriel Nicholas | Slate | 11th December 2017

Art has always seized on new technologies with enthusiasm. Will artificial intelligence be another happy example? Some think not, fearing it will shift “more of the creative legwork to machines”. Job losses in commercial art is one concern. Longer term, AI software may compromise artists’ ability to claim ownership of their work, if the software is deemed responsible for “the lion’s share of the creativity.”

12th December 2017

What Sold at Art Basel in Miami Beach

Alexander Forbes | Artsy | 9th December 2017

The pulse of the market at Art Basel Miami Beach. Some $3.5bn of works were offered and “hundreds” of sales occurred in the six figure range. Older collectors are selling, newer collectors buying. Mid-sized galleries are “challenged” and some expect “an industry-wide reckoning” on costs and strategy. Dealers and collectors both feel “art fair fatigue” but 41% of gallery sales come from art fairs.

The False Narrative of Damien Hirst’s Rise and Fall

Felix Salmon | The New Yorker | 6th December 2017

Galleries and auction houses provide elaborate – and thus expensive – services. So if high profile artists can avoid using them what is wrong with that? “Buyers don’t care anymore about waiting for the verdict of history; they’re consuming Hirsts in the exuberant present, while those who believe in art’s eternal verities try desperately to avert their eyes.”

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