The Easel

15th May 2018

Thaddaeus Ropac on Why We Can’t Give up on Galleries

Compared with Jerry Saltz’s recent blast, a more moderate perspective. Art fairs offer global reach and new influences, but galleries remain central to the art eco-system. Galleries should continue to “work with a group of artists and grow with them. [A]rt deserves spaces that are less fleeting than fairs. In the galleries, we can create memorable happenings”.

8th May 2018

A Modest Proposal: Break the Art Fair

Big art fairs are lucrative only for large galleries that can cover high participation costs with substantial sales. Yet small galleries feel they cannot afford not to attend – “big fairs are now one of the definitions of success”. And larger galleries want them to attend – so they can identify the newer artists they will eventually poach.