The Easel

What You Need to Know from the Art Market 2020 Report

A key market report says that global art sales declined 6% in 2019, following a flat 2018. Auction sales fell a lot (fewer sales of the most expensive artworks) while online sales fell slightly. Sales by galleries and dealers nudged up, the biggest of them growing by a lot. Art fairs remain important. Women artists are (slowly) getting more exposure. A description of these data as “a strong plateau” sounds just a touch optimistic.