The Easel

7th July 2020

What Might the Artworld’s ‘New Normal’ Look Like?

Recently joyful at art galleries re-opening, this writer is now sombre. He is anxious about the big museums. They face an increasingly “fraught debate” about their “failings” on gender and ethnic representation. Those with weakened financials could fall back on wealthy patrons, who have their own agendas. Caught between the demands of activists and philanthropists, this is a “future of contradiction”.

What Are Art Galleries For?

More soul searching, this time about private galleries. A “winner-take-all” economy has suited the few mega-galleries. Galleries outside this blue-chip stratum have long been under pressure, reducing their capacity to support emerging artists. The post-lockdown world may prefer a “sparsely populated gallery” to the crowded art fair. Things may become “more localized”. And bring, one hopeful artist adds, “a more transparent, slower way of working”.