London, New York, and soon Asia: Venues for the Art Business Conference with director Louise Hamlin

BARELY RECOVERED FROM THE MASSIVE AUDIENCE AND ENTHUSIASM OF THE LONDON ART BUSINESS CONFERENCE ON SEPTEMBER 4th, LOUISE HAMLIN, FOUNDER AND ORGANIZER OF THE ART BUSINESS CONFERENCE, IS PLANNING THE NEW YORK SPEAKER PANELS AND AGENDA. THE NEW YORK CONFERENCE WILL BE HELD AT THE TIME WARNER BUILDING IN MANHATTAN NEXT APRIL 2019.

IN THE MEANTIME, THE LRFA BLOG WILL CONTINUE ITS INTERVIEW WITH LOUISE ABOUT THE CURRENT PROGRAMMING AND HER PLANS FOR THE FUTURE OF THE CONFERENCE. YOU COULD HARDLY IMAGINE THAT A WOMAN OF THE CALIBER AND ENERGY OF LOUISE HAMLIN WOULD STOP AT TWO VENUES.  READ ON!

IN THE CONFERENCE, SPEAKERS EXPLORE WHY PEOPLE BUY OBJECTS, ART WORKS AND ANTIQUES. WHAT DO YOU THINK ARE THE DOMINANT REASONS?  HAVE THEY CHANGED OVER THE YEARS FROM A COLLECTOR ZEAL TO ONE MORE FOCUSED ON ART AS AN ALTERNATIVE INVESTMENT?

There will always be collectors but there are an increasing number of other groups buying art, including those looking to make alternative investments.  The internet has made the art market accessible to all and more and more businesses are ready to provide services which will help buyers make informed choices. 

Such examples recently highlighted at the NY conference in April, were The Magnus App, which works like Shazam for art, founded by art market economist and entrepreneur Magnus Resch, is a good example of the art world accommodating the consumer.  Jennifer Deason, Executive Vice President, Global Head of Strategy & Corporate Development at Sotheby’s made some fascinating insights on Taste Profiling in the Art Market in her closing address.  Art is evocative and inspiring – there will always be buyers – but understanding their needs and educating them will only help to broaden the buying market and this is key.

WHAT ARE THE CURRENT REGULATIONS THAT GOVERN THE ACQUISITIONS IN THE UK AND THE US AND HOW DO YOU ANTICIPATE THEY MIGHT CHANGE? WILL THEY LOOSEN OR TIGHTEN IN THE NEAR FUTURE?

Wow tough question! And as I am not an expert on this, I consult with the conference legal and tax & accounting sponsors who are best placed to advise on this.  In fact, there was just a session on Anti-Money Laundering at the London conference on Tuesday. I also consult with the heads of the Trade Associations to see how we can best to shape presentations to make them relevant and useful for art businesses.

GLOBALIZATION MAKES IT IMPERATIVE THAT WE CAN TRADE INTERNATIONALLY IN ART AND ANTIQUES. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE ISSUES IN TERMS OF BREXIT AND U.S TARIFFS?

Leslie, I think you might have just offered me a topic for the NY Conference in 2019?  As it’s something I can’t answer….perhaps we should include this next year?

LVR: AND ALSO THE TOPIC OF US AND CHINA TARIFFS AND HOW THEY ARE AFFECTING THE ART MARKET! I’D LOVE A PANEL ON THAT.

THE PRACTICAL ASPECTS OF THE ART MARKET, THE INSURANCE, THE SHIPPING, THE TRANSPORT, ARE CRUCIAL TO THE BUSINESS? HOW DO YOU DETERMINE THE BEST PEOPLE IN EACH OF THESE AREAS OF THE INDUSTRY TO SPEAK AT THE CONFERENCE.

My years at The Art Newspaper certainly helped provide me with a nice list of contacts, but there are also a number of trade associations in the Art Market whose members all have to adhere to strict guidelines of best practice.  Many of our speakers are members of these associations including APAA, PAIAM and CINOA.

IN APRIL 2018, THE ART BUSINESS CONFERENCE IN NEW YORK INCLUDED THE FOLLOWING TOPICS, SUPPORTED BY KNOWLEDGEABLE SPEAKERS IN EACH FIELD.

Art Market Principles and Best Practices

This session opened with a presentation by Noah Horowitz, Director of Art Basel Americas, who defined these sets of principles and their implications for exhibitors. This was followed by a panel discussion exploring the codes of conduct and best practices that already exist in the US art market and looked at what can be done to improve standards in the industry for the future. 

Protecting an Artist’s Legacy

This session offered practical advice for artists’ estates and foundations and explored how technology is working to support artists and their estates. 

Traveling Exhibitions

This session explored the planning process behind travelling exhibitions from the museum perspective, discussed changing trends and how technology is assisting the evolution of travelling exhibitions globally.  The panel also examined best practice when loaning to traveling exhibitions focusing on insurance and contracts.  

The Future of Collecting

How will the next generation collect Art, Antiques and Collectables?  

Cybercriminals in the art world

This interactive workshop offered guidance on proactive measures art businesses can take to protect themselves and covered the following areas: the Human Firewall – training staff to detect and respond appropriately to threats, invoice fraud, password hygiene, shadow IT. Plus GDPR – the largest shake-up in data protection for 20 years, and what it means for US art organisations.

DO YOU FORESEE THE GROWTH OF THE ART BUSINESS CONFERENCE TO INCLUDE HONG KONG, OR SHANGHAI OR ANY OTHER INTERNATIONAL SITES?

Yes absolutely, I am working on developing the conference in the Asia for 2019.

IT IS WONDERFUL WHEN SOMEONE DILIGENT AND COMMITTED HAS THE INSIGHT TO OFFER A WONDERFUL PROGRAM AND THE FORTITUDE TO EXPAND IT FIRST TO NEW YORK AND THEN TO ASIA. HATS OFF, LOUISE! I ADMIRE YOU AND THE ART BUSINESS CONFERENCES ENORMOUSLY AND LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU IN NEW YORK IN APRIL.

SO MANY THANKS FOR YOUR GREAT CONTRIBUTION TO THE LRFA BLOG!

 

IN OUR NEXT POST THE LRFA BLOG IS DELIGHTED TO INTRODUCE DEBRA FORCE, PRESIDENT OF DEBRA FORCE FINE ARTS. DURING A TImE WHEN CONTEMPORARY ART DOMINATES THE MARKET, DEBRA HAS COMMITTED HER PROFESSIONAL LIFE TO THE MASTERWORKS OF EARLY AMERICAN ART. HER EXPERIENCE IN THE ART WORLD IS VAST, RANGING FROM MANAGING A DISTINGUISHED CORPORATE COLLECTION TO HEADING CHRISTIE’S AMERICAN PAINTING DEPARTMENT TO OPENING HER OWN GALLERY. THE CONSTANT IN EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THESE POSITIONS IS HER KNOWLEDGE AND COMMITMENT TO AMERICAN ART AND HER ENTHUSIASM IN SHARING IT WITH US.

I LOOK FORWARD TO SHARING DEBRA’S VAST KNOWLEDGE AND INTELLIGENCE WITH YOU.