Airport, please! Staying local, visiting Miami’s Team Lab Superblue

Superblue
Miami, Florida
Es Dezeen

Superblue is a groundbreaking enterprise dedicated to producing, presenting and engaging audiences with experiential art. One of the best results of the isolation of the pandemic has been the extraordinary strides in technology that the art world has incorporated. Previously content to focus on showing and seeing works of art in person, the art world was one of the last industry’s to allow the digital world to take priority over the physical one. Covid-19 has changed all that.  Art fairs went OVR, the mega-galleries and auction houses invested significant sums in developing new innovative technologically-oriented ways to expose art to collectors and galleries and to the global public. A new opportunity to collect art has emerged with cryptoart and nfts. Overall, a great deal of innovation in a very short time.

https://www.showclix.com/event/superblue-miami-tickets?_ga=2.118410944.890293004.1623334986-302149040.1623334986&_gac=1.73160964.1623334986.f990899f9d211f0e7f07e95dbd64ec3d

OPENING EVENT

Located at 1101 NW 23rd Street, in Miami, Superblue’s inaugural program features the debut of a new immersive environment, Every Wall Is a Door, featuring a new project by British designer, Es Devlin, a transcendent digital world created by teamLab, and an enveloping light-based work from none other than James Turrell, represented by Pace Gallery, from his iconic Ganzfeld series. Bringing together new and recent projects by teamLab in one, all-encompassing experience, this suite of interconnected artworks takes audiences on an exploration of the ambiguity between living and nonliving states of being, and the relationship between humanity and the natural world.

http://Superblue miami teamlab

TEAMLAB

teamLab is an interdisciplinary community of artists, programmers, engineers, CG animators, mathematicians, and architects that aims to transcend boundaries of perception, explore time, and the interaction between the self and the world which is integral to the ultimate form of the work – underscoring their collective presence as a means of creation and where distinctive parts interact to become a unified whole. Superblue is an independent new concept that straddles the divide between art and entertainment.

Mollie Dent-Brocklehurst

Conceived by Marc Glimcher, president and CEO of Pace Gallery, and the legendary British Mollie Dent-Brockhurst whose professional experience ranges from establishing the Garage Museum of Contemporary in Moscow to working in the gallery and auction worlds, Gagosian and Sotheby’s and curating exhibitions at her family property in England, Sudeley Castle. She has now teamed up with her former boss at Pace Gallery, president and CEO Marc Glimcher, to found Superblue. Dent-Brocklehurst, who is the enterprise’s CEO, says Superblue is courting a “much wider audience” than the standard gallery or museum.

James Turrell
Ganzfeld Series
Superblue

JAMES TURRELL  GANZFELD SERIES

In this project, the artist is on a mission to manipulate the viewer’s perception and experience by just using light. Never known as one to hurry in person or work, Turrell even describes himself as a tortoise as opposed to considering himself as a hare. He is now past 70 years of age and sports white hair and a mustache. For the past 40 years, this artist has been involved in the Roden Crater, a project that requires movement of more than one million cubic feet of earth, but nothing can convince him that he should have been done by now. With such a long term project under his wings, how did the idea of light come about? Here, Turrell creates a similar experience of “Ganzfeld”: a German word to describe the phenomenon of the total loss of depth perception as in the experience of a white-out.

https://publicdelivery.org/james-turrell-ganzfelds/

SUPERBLUE

Superblue represents a radical business model: a for-profit venture that exhibits seriously respected artists who produce experiential works, rather than objects, and pays them a cut of ticket sales. Now projected to open in Miami in early spring (Covid has delayed its debut several times), Superblue will mount the kind of large-scale, immersive exhibitions that have become wildly popular in recent years: Think Random International’s Rain Room, which had thousands waiting for hours in sweltering heat to experience a tech-generated rainfall, or teamLab, represented by Pace Gallery,  a digital-heavy collective that opened its own Tokyo exhibition space in 2018 and drew over 2 million visitors in its first year.

http://Robb Report, Lifestyle News, December 27, 2020

After more than a year of long stretches at home, narrowed perspectives of the world, limited travel and virtually no adventure except virtual ones, experiencing SUPERBLUE’S EVERY WALL IS A DOOR, immersive environment will feel like the ultimate freedom!

Airport, please!

Airport, please! to see Bill Viola’s Journey of the Soul at the Pushkin Museum in Moscow

 

The Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts Moscow, Russia

Good morning! Grab your coat. It’s bitter cold in New York and, interestingly, slightly warmer in Moscow.

Airport, please! is excited to be heading to the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts to see the extraordinary video master, Bill Viola, The Journey of the Soul. This exhibition represents the first solo presentation of Viola’s work in Russia and the first significant exhibition of media art at the Pushkin Museum. Who better to represent this artistic genre than the pioneer of media art, Bill Viola?

The Pushkin State Museum

Bill Viola, The Journey of the Soul, is part of the ongoing “Pushkin XXI” project, which focuses on bringing together classical tradition and contemporary practice to offer new ways of engaging with art. Since the early 1970s, Viola has used video to explore the phenomena of sense perception as an avenue to self-knowledge. His works focus on universal human experiences—birth, death, the unfolding of consciousness—and have roots in both Eastern and Western art as well as spiritual traditions, including Zen Buddhism, Islamic Sufism, and Christian mysticism.

Bill Viola
Fire Woman

Bill Viola has been instrumental in establishing video as a vital form of contemporary art, and in expanding its scope in terms of technology, content, and historical reach. Bill Viola, The Journey of the Soul is curated by Olga Shishko, Head of Cinema and Media Art Department, Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, and Kira Perov, Executive Director, Bill Viola Studio.

 

Bill Viola
Martyrs (Earth, Fire, Water, Air)

More than 20 signature artworks presented in the exhibition were created in the period from 2000 to 2014. They demonstrate the artist’s mastering of moving image technology.  In the Museum’s main exhibition halls, visitors will see for the first time such large-scale works as Fire Woman (2005), Catherine’s Room (2001), The Quintet of the Astonished (2000) and four works from the Martyrs series (2014). This retrospective of Viola’s work of the last 14 years was curated by the Head of Cinema and Media Art Department, Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, in collaboration with the Executive Director of the Bill Viola Studio.

For further information, contact James Cohen Gallery, New York, astuart@jamescohan.com

BIOGRAPHY

Bill Viola is a recognized master who has been a pioneer of video art since the 1970s. One of the most influential American artists living today, for more than four decades he has been creating single-channel videotapes, video and sound installations, acoustical environments, as well as media works that accompany large-scale concerts and opera productions. Viola represented the USA at the Venice Biennale in 1995; selected solo exhibitions were held at the Whitney Museum of American Art (1997), the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles (2003), the Mori Art Museum, Tokyo (2006), the Grand Palais, Paris (2014), the Palazzo Strozzi in Florence (2017), the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao (2017), the Royal Academy of Arts in London (2019), the Busan Museum of Art, South Korea (2020); and in St. Paul’s Cathedral in London Martyrs (Earth, Air, Fire, Water) (2014), and the video-triptych Mary(2016) were installed as permanent installations.

Bill Viola
Catherine’s Room

PUSHKIN MUSEUM OF THE FINE ARTS, MOSCOW, RUSSIA

The Pushkin Museum of the Fine Arts is the largest museum of European art in Moscow, located on Volkhonka Street, opposite the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. The building was designed by Roman Klein and Vladimir Shukhov and its construction began in 1898 and was completed in 1912. Its permanent collection of French art once belonged to the legendary Moscow collectors, Sergei Shchukin and Ivan Morozov, and represents one of the most famous collections of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist and avant-garde art of the 20th Century, featuring masterpieces by Monet, Renoir, Degas, Cezanne, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Matisse and Picasso.

The Pushkin State Museum

Core values stand the test of the pandemic at the Sean Kelly Gallery with Senior Partner, Cecile Panzieri

Cecile Panzieri and Sean Kelly of Sean Kelly Gallery

That the pandemic has shifted how art is bought and sold is evident in the 255% rise in online-only auction sales between January and August, to nearly US$597 million from US$168 million in the same period last year. Of the experts surveyed, 24% expect auction sales overall will rise in the next six months, while 39% expect rising sales to continue for a year.

The ability of the major auction houses to pivot quickly to digital sales, and eventually to hybrid models involving live-streams from their global locations, buffered the initial steep losses the houses experienced in the first part of the year, ArtTactic said. Still, year-end results will likely be significantly down from 2019 levels, the report said.

In 2019, global auction sales from Christie’s, Sotheby’s, and Phillips were US$9.74 billion, down 19.8% from a year earlier.

Art Basel Miami OVR
Sean Kelly Gallery
December 2-6, 2020

Galleries and art fairs that mostly sell works in the primary market also quickly, and largely successfully, transitioned to digital programming and sales in 2020, allowing confidence in the primary market to rise from a level of 3 on ArtTactic’s indicator last May to 39 in November. Of experts the firm surveyed, 36% are optimistic about the next six months (compared to only 2% who were in May) and 29% are neutral.

BARRONS.COM/PENTA, Abby Schultz, November 20, 2020, ArtTactic Finds “V-Shaped” Recovery in Market Confidence

https://www.barrons.com/articles/arttactic-finds-v-shaped-recovery-in-market-confidence-01605909874?reflink=article_emailShare

SEAN KELLY GALLERY REMAINS TRUE TO ITSELF, IN WHATEVER FORM THE CURRENT CLIMATE DEMANDS: VIRTUAL, DIGITAL, ONLINE, OR LIVE. THEIR CORE VALUES REMAIN INTACT, THEIR COLLECTORS AND ARTISTS LOYAL AND THE GALLERY PROVIDES A SAFE PORT IN THIS PANDEMIC STORM.

TODAY, THE LRFA BLOG IS HONORED TO CONTINUE ITS CONVERSATION WITH CECILE PANZIERI, SENIOR PARTNER AT SEAN KELLY GALLERY, ON THE EFFECTS OF THE PANDEMIC ON THE GALLERY IN PARTICULAR AND ON THE ART MARKET IN GENERAL.

Frieze Viewing Room 2020

Art Basel Miami OVR
Sean Kelly Gallery

IN THIS VERY COMPETITIVE ART WORLD, IN WHICH ARTISTS ARE AS CONSCIOUS OF THEIR PROFESSIONAL STANDING AS THEY OF THEIR ARTISTIC DEVELOPMENT, WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS WITH RESPECT TO REPRESENTING THE WORK?

We share and do everything we can to foster our artists’ ambitions and our ambitions for them.  We want their work to be critically recognized, publicly exhibited, and collected. We want to facilitate their creative vision.  Our ability to succeed in these areas comes from decades of experience and nurtured relationships, but this alone is not enough: the artists are integral to making our efforts successful.  Our artists  understand this.  The pandemic with all its challenges has reinforced the core values that bind us: trust, integrity,  hard work and passion for what we do.   Together we are well positioned to navigate the current stormy waters. 

TEFAF New York Fall 2019

HOW DO YOU PLACE WORKS IN BOTH PRIVATE AND PUBLIC COLLECTIONS? ARE THE PROCESSES SIMILAR OR DIFFERENT OR DO THEY OVERLAP?  

Over the years, we have had the pleasure of getting to know collectors who were at different points in their collecting history.  We have wanted to create a gallery experience where one would feel welcome to explore, discover and talk about art, be it with Sean, me or my other colleagues.  If a museum wants to acquire a work by one of our artists, we will do our best working with the artist to facilitate an acquisition. Our collectors understand that institutions are a priority, they are generous and excited for the artists when this happens.  Over the years we have placed works in the collections of many museums worldwide.  My experience with our collectors over the years is that acquiring a work is a pursuit they love and a question of timing: “the right work at the right time”.   We value our collectors, their passion and support for the gallery’s program.  They know that when solicited they can trust and rely on our opinion.   I derive a lot of satisfaction from being part of the “matching” process and  fulfilling the quest along the way.

Zona Maco 2020

HOW IMPORTANT DO YOU THINK ART FAIRS ARE TO BOTH THE PRESENCE OF THE GALLERY AND TO THE ARTISTS IN THE GLOBAL MARKET?  

Art fairs are important as they provide visibility to the gallery and its program, and the opportunity to meet existing and new collectors, private and institutional from all over the world in an “acquiring” or research mode.  It is instrumental to the expansion of the gallery’s activities and network.  I am a “people” person and very much enjoy attending and working at art fairs.  Operating a gallery of our size without art fairs as we just experienced these past few months has meant less income.  Virtual art fairs are not the same: they require a great deal of planning but our collectors find them both overwhelming and underwhelming, and are learning how to “visit” them, the same way we are learning how to best participate in them, and what technology can or cannot do for the remote art viewing experience.  More and more people from all over the world spend a lot of time looking at art, and more and more, purchasing art on the internet as well.  What we do not know is how profound and lasting  this trend is.  

ADAA Art Show 2020
Solo presentation by Idris Khan

WHICH ART FAIRS DOES THE GALLERY PARTICIPATE IN AND WHY?

Until the pandemic forced the cancellation of all art fairs, we participated in Art Basel, Art Basel Miami, Art Basel Hong Kong, Armory Show, ADAA , Zona Maco, Taipei Dangdai, TEFAF NY  and Frieze NY.   We felt that each fair complemented our activities at the gallery.  We have been deliberate in making sure that we do not become too dependent on them.   The core of our business is gallery driven, it is solid.  The past few months of distant/remote working have validated our prudence.

Frieze Viewing Room 2020

THE LRFA BLOG LOOKS FORWARD TO CECILE’S PERSPECTIVE ON THE CURRENT MARKET AND FUTURE PLANS OF SEAN KELLY GALLERY IN OUR NEXT POST.

PLEASE JOIN US!

Stay tuned: future plans at Phillips with Deputy Chair and Head of Private Sales, Miety Heiden

Phillips
New York, London, Hong Kong

SINCE MID-MARCH 2020, PHILLIPS HAS HAD TO  POSTPONE THE MAJORITY OF THEIR UPCOMING SALES, AS DID ALL THE AUCTION HOUSES, IN RESPONSE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC LOCKDOWN. ALTHOUGH A PAINFUL DECISION, IT WAS A NECESSARY ONE. ART FAIRS HAVE BEEN CANCELLED OR POSTPONED, GALLERIES CLOSED AND NOW CAUTIOUSLY OPENING BY APPOINTMENT IN SOME CITIES AND IN EUROPE AND ASIA, AND THE ART WORLD AS WE KNOW IT HAS BEEN RECONFIGURED. WHAT HAS EMERGED IS A RAPID AND PROFOUND DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW WAY OF VIEWING AND BUYING IN THE ART WORLD VIA THE SOPHISTICATED DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY THAT IS NOW AVAILABLE.

PHILLIPS ANNOUNCED:

As a result of the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic and recent New York State and City mandated restrictions on commercial operations, Phillips regrets that we are unable to make lots from this sale available for pre-Auction, in-person inspection.

Gerhard Richter Phillips Evening Sale, NY, July 2, 2020

ON JUNE 15th, THE SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST OFFERED THIS PREDICTION:

“While you’ll certainly see our core business return to in-person live auctions when it is safe to do so, we’ve witnessed the effectiveness of the online-only platform and the interest it has attracted, which is certainly making it one of our key services and options for our clients. This is something that was in the works well in advance of Covid-19, and you’ll see it remain a pillar … after it as well.”

The transition of sales from in person to online has allowed these forward-thinking auction houses to further develop and fine-tune online sales – and no one is bidding against the phenomenon remaining strong when live auctions eventually resume.

Joan Mitchell
Noel
Phillips July 2 Evening Sale

PHILLIPS WILL HOLD ITS 20th CENTURY AND A CONTEMPORARY ART EVENING SALE, NEW YORK, ON JULY 2, 2020.

“We live in strange days,” Phillips’ Robert Manley, Worldwide Co-Head of 20th Century and Contemporary Art, said. “But the way I see it is that for every season, every auction you have to take the temperature of what people looking for and buying and those are the things we go after. This season in a way is no different.”

Manley said that Phillips plans to make the July 2 sale as similar to any of its other evening sales before the pandemic. The works are still being heavily researched and with accompanying catalogue essays, to be published online instead of in a printed book. Potential bidders will still have the opportunity to view the painting, but it will most likely be on an appointment-only basis. And the sale will take place with a live auctioneer, though most likely bidders will not be allowed in the salesroom.

VR Walkthrough: 20 Century and Contemporary Art, Hong Kong, July 8, 2020

HERE TODAY, MIETY HEIDEN, DEPUTY CHAIR, HEAD OF PRIVATE SALES AND PHILLIPS X, THEIR ONLINE PLATFORM, WILL SHARE HER PERSPECTIVE ON THE FUTURE OF THE ART MARKET IN GENERAL AND PHILLIPS IN PARTICULAR IN OUR ALMOST POST-PANDEMIC WORLD.

What are your aims and goals in growing the private sales department at Phillips? Are there changes you would like to make in how the private sales department works?

Our private sales department at Phillips is growing and developing as we speak. We are running an exhibition program in all three of our selling locations – London, New York and Hong Kong – and we also have pop- ups all around the world. We work with dealers, curators and artists directly, and are looking into digital private sales as well.

As always, our sales will feature significant examples from a variety of modern, post-war, and contemporary masters.

Do you think the trend towards the private sales sector will continue to increase and, if so, why?

I definitely think there is huge potential for growth in this area. Whilst the auction process still forms the backbone of our business, the ability to engage with our collectors all year round on a more personal and direct platform is a very important and expanding avenue.

IT HAS BEEN A DELIGHT TO POST THIS INTERVIEW WITH MIETY AND THE LRFA BLOG SO APPRECIATES HER CONTRIBUTION OF TIME, EXPERTISE AND INSIGHT.

THANK YOU, MIETY!

Save the Date: The Art Business Conference returns to New York on March 30, 2020

Louise Hamlin
Founder and Director
Art Business Conference
London, New York, Hong Kong

2020 DATE AND NEW VENUE ANNOUNCED FOR THE FOURTH EDITION OF THE ART BUSINESS CONFERENCE IN NEW YORK

THE ART BUSINESS CONFERENCE LAUNCHED IN LONDON IN 2014, IN NEW YORK IN 2017 AND IN SHANGHAI IN NOVEMBER 2018. ENTERING ITS SEVENTH YEAR, ITS MISSION IS SIMPLE: TO BE THE LEADING ANNUAL CONFERENCE FOR ART PROFESSIONALS INCLUDING ART ADVISORS, COLLECTORS, AUCTIONEERS, DEALERS, GALLERIES, INSURERS, SHIPPERS AND LAWYERS, OFFERING IN-DEPTH KNOWLEDGE AND GUIDANCE ON CHANGES WITHIN THE GLOBAL ART MARKET, PLUS THE LATEST UPDATES IN LEGISLATION AND TAXATION.

The Art Business Conference Networking

IN 2019, THE ART BUSINESS CONFERENCE IN NEW YORK WAS ATTENDED BY OVER 250 ART MARKET PROFESSIONALS REPRESENTING OVER 125 ART ORGANIZATIONS FROM THE UK, EUROPE, MIDDLE EAST AND USA. THE LATEST CONFERENCE WAS HELD IN LONDON IN SEPTEMBER 2019 AND WELCOMED JUST UNDER 400 ATTENDEES.  THE LRFA BLOG IS VERY MUCH LOOKING FORWARD TO THE MARCH 30th ART BUSINESS CONFERENCE IN NEW YORK AT A PERFECT LOCATION: CHRISTIE’S FLAGSHIP GALLERIES AT 20 ROCKEFELLER PLAZA (49th STREET BETWEEN 5/6th AVENUES).

https://www.theartbusinessconference.com/nyc/the-event/

 

The one-day conference for art market professionals will comprise a full day of lively panel discussions, informative presentations and Q&A’s, all in the heart of Manhattan.

The leading platform for the discussion of key issues in today’s global art market, the conference will bring together industry experts from all facets of the art world, providing a 360-degree perspective on major developments within the trade and offering delegates the opportunity to establish new contacts in the industry.

Louise Hamlin, founder & director of The Art Business Conference says, “I am delighted that the Art Business Conference will be returning to New York for the fourth year and to be partnering with Christie’s. The conference will be held in Christie’s main salesroom, the James Christie room, which is not only an iconic art world setting, but also an opportunity for us to accommodate a growth in our attendee base from across the US, UK, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Last year over 250+ art professionals and collectors attended.”

 

IN THE NEXT LRFA BLOG, THE TOPICS AND SPEAKERS WILL BE HIGHLIGHTED. THEY COVER A WIDE RANGE OF SUBJECTS INCLUDING THE NEW ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING DIRECTIVE, THE SCIENCE AND ECONOMICS OF COLLECTING, SUSTAINABILITY AND THE FINE ART OF RECRUiTMENT, PLUS THE LATEST UPDATES AND TRENDS IN DATA, TECHNOLOGY, AND CONSERVATION SHAPING THE ART MARKET TODAY.

Christie’s New York
Rockefeller Center

SIGN UP NOW! A NOT-TO-BE-MISSED EVENT.

To register please visit: https://artbusinessconferencenewyork2020.eventbrite.co.uk

To register interest for further press enquiries please contact:

Louise Hamlin (Director & Founder)

email: louise@artmarketminds.com

Tel: +44 (0) 7508 231 241

The Art Business Conference, united by our love of art, with founder and director, Louise Hamlin

Louise Hamlin & panelists
Founder and Director
Art Business Conference

THIS YEAR’S ART BUSINESS CONFERENCE, IN ITS FIFTH YEAR IN LONDON AND THIRD IN NEW YORK, IS GROWING IN ATTENDANCE BY LEAPS AND BOUNDS. IN A REVIEW OF THE NY CONFERENCE BY JOURNALIST, TIM SCHNEIDER, IN THE APRIL 20, 2018 ISSUE OF ARTNET NEWS, THE EXPLANATION IS SIMPLE: THE ART BUSINESS CONFERENCE ADDRESSES THE MOST PRESSING IDEOLOGICAL CONCERNS IN OUR CURRENT ART MARKET.

http://www.theartbusinessconference.com/

Earlier this week, a cross-section of art industry professionals converged in Midtown Manhattan to debate some of the market’s most urgent questions. Hailing from around the globe and across sectors, participants in the second annual ART BUSINESS CONFERENCE in New York dissected topics ranging from the practical (how to guard your data against malicious hackers) to the philosophical (how to steward an artist’s legacy). 

We’ve packed the most important themes into an easy-to-digest capsule for anyone not in attendance. And since every good medicine is just the result of chemical reactions, here are the three main ideological collisions on display at the conference—and why they matter so much for where we go next.

TRANSPARENCY VS. OPACITY : The importance for dealers to do away with the secrecy-driven elitism of the traditional art sales process but to think of transparency is a much broader sense for the arts to continue to grow.

PROVINCIALISM VS. PROFESSIONALIZATION: From the challenges of globalization to the escalating scale of exhibitions, to the 21st century courtroom battles, the conference addresses the vast change of the art business from a cottage industry…Art has become too expensive, too complex and too globally mobile to keep handling with handshakes and ad hoc plans.

TECHNOLOGY VS. TRADITION: Technology is coming to the art world, whether the art industry is ready or not. The Art Business Conference should be applauded for giving the subject as much stage time as it did. But it will be the industry’s loss on multiple levels if it runs from the changes instead of meeting them head-on.

https://news.artnet.com/market/art-business-conference-1270700

BEFORE RETURNING TO THE AGENDA AND PANELISTS FEATURED IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE FORTHCOMING LONDON CONFERENCE ON SEPTEMBER 4th, WE REJOIN LOUISE HAMLIN, ITS FOUNDER AND ORGANIZER, TO CONTINUE WITH HER PROFESSIONAL HISTORY AND THAT OF THE CONFERENCES THEMSELVES.

LOUISE, THANK YOU AND WELCOME BACK!

THE ART BUSINESS CONFERENCE IS IN ITS FIFTH YEAR, A ONE-DAY CONFERENCE FOR ART MARKET PROFESSIONALS. HOW WAS IT INITIALLY FORMED AND WHAT INSPIRED THE IDEA?

During my time at The Art Newspaper, I worked with a very large number of businesses across the art market, from galleries and museums, trade associations, art fairs and auction houses to professional service providers including insurers, shippers and web designers.  I saw the need for a forum to bring all these different businesses together in a new learning environment to share knowledge in this unique and special industry. 

As Kevin Lay of Arcis said in his closing remarks, at the most recent NY conference, “we are all united in our love for art”.  A love of art and a desire to bring those working with it together was the inspiration for the conference.

APPROXIMATELY HOW MANY PEOPLE ATTEND AND HOW MUCH WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE IT GROW?

The conference now has over 630 delegates attending the 2018 conferences, representing over 350 global art organizations. I would love to grow, but physically, I think there is a limit. If we had unlimited space available, would we want to have unlimited places available?  I don’t think so.  It would become too difficult to make the presentations relevant to all and networking could become more challenging. 

Growth in terms of reputation and success:  Yes, of course. I would like to continue to build on the current success to ensure we attract good people to attend and put on presentations which are interesting, informative, educating, challenging, inspiring.

WHAT ARE THE NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES AND WHAT ARE SOME OF THE STORIES IN WHICH NETWORKING PRODUCED POSITIVE GROWTH RESULTS FOR THOSE WHO ATTEND?

As I have said previously, networking is key to the event and we provide a good number of opportunities to do this throughout the day (networking breakfast, morning coffee, lunch, afternoon tea, and of course evening drinks).  In New York, the conference room is set up so that delegates sit at large round banqueting tables to encourage this.  And at the forthcoming London conference on 4^thSeptember, we will be introducing networking tables over lunchtime. This is a great opportunity to join a discussion around a specific topic, ask experts and meet fellow attendees. We have facilitated a number of connections during the conferences and also post conference – connecting people and businesses is what we love to do.

THE KEYNOTE SPEAKERS ARE VERY DISTINGUISHED IN THEIR AREAS OF EXPERTISE. WHAT ARE THE SUBJECTS THAT THE CONFERENCE FOCUSES ON WHEN CREATING PANELS OF DISCUSSION?

The subjects are diverse but the brief is the same for whatever the subject. I want to secure speakers who are knowledgeable and engaging.   A lot of time and effort is given to putting together panels of people who do not necessarily share the same opinion on a subject but can bring different perspectives and experiences to the debate. There is always a need to be a little creative in putting together an interesting panel group. In terms of the topics, I try to make them timely, whatever is shaping the art market news at the time that is relevant to the buying and selling of art and also consulting widely across the industry to gauge interest in topics.  

WHAT IS THE CURRENT MARKET IN THE U.K. AND THE U.S. AND HOW DO YOU EXPECT TO SEE IT SHIFT AND GROW?

As a humble conference organizer and not an art market economist or journalist, I wouldn’t like to say!

However, in consulting across the market on topics as I do, it is an interesting time. Brexit in the UK and the Trump administration in the US have brought uncertainty to the art market, but as with everything there is always opportunity too!

IN OUR NEXT LRFA BLOG POST, WE WILL RETURN TO THE SPECIFICS OF THE NEXT ART BUSINESS CONFERENCE ON SEPTEMBER 4th IN LONDON. IT WILL BE WELL-ORGANIZED, INFORMATIVE AND PROVIDE A HUGE OPPORTUNITY TO CONNECT WITH OTHER PROFESSIONALS IN A WIDE RANGE OF AREAS OF EXPERTISE.

WELL WORTH ATTENDING!