Seven Days in the Artworld: Chapter 3: The Fair

[78] -- "Only a century ago, no one had a car. Now people have two or three. That's the way its going with art."

[79] -- "The fair is significant from a prestige point of view. If a gallery is not admitted, people might think that it is not as important as another gallery that is. If a gallery is refused next year, it could destroy their business."
(comment by a member of the admission committee)

[81] -- In the art world, gossip is never idle. It is a vital Form of Market intelligence.

[82] -- The art is so demanding that the architecture needs to be nearly invisible. The ceilings are high enough to go unnoticed, and dealers praise the quality of the walls, which support even the heaviest works. most importantly, the expensive, artificial lighting is clean and white.

[82] -- "If you go after art and quality, the money will come later...We have to make the same decisions as the artists. Do they create great art or art that sells well? With the galleries it's the same. Are they commercial or do they believe in something?"
(comment by Samuel Keller - The Director of Art Basel since 2002)

[82/3] -- When you first start collecting, you're intensely competitive, but eventually you learn two things. First, if an artist is only going to make one good work, then there is no sense in fighting over it. Second, a collection is a personal vision. No one can steal your vision."
(comment by Don Rubell)

[83] -- "there is an implied incompetence. Out of everyone in the art world, colelctors are the least professional. All they have to do is write a check."
(comment by Don Rubell)

[83] -- "Collector should be an earned category. An artist doesn't become an artist in a day, so a collector shouldn't become a collector in a day. It's a lifetime process."
(comment by Mera Rubell)

[84] -- "When you buy from the first or second show, you're inside the confidence-building, the identity-building of an artist. It's not just about buying a piece. It's about buying into someone's life and where they are going with it. It's a mutual commitment, which is pretty intense."
(comment by Mera Rubell)

[88] -- Unlike other industries, where buyers are anonymous and interchangeable, here artists' reputations are enhanced or contaminated by the people who own their work.

[88] -- "Occasionally meeting an artist destroys the art. You almost don't trust it. you think what you're seeing in the work is an accident."
(comment by Mera Rubell)

[91] -- Logsdail distinguishes between galleries and what he disparages as 'dealerships'. the former discover and develop artists; the latter trade in art objects.

[91] -- " 'Buying in depth', or the practice of acquiring many works by the same artist, is often cited as a very respectable way to collect."
(as opposed to 'fishing with a giant net', where some collectors seek to purchase many various works from various artists so they can claim that 'I have one of those', or 'I was there')

[95] -- When it comes to the relationship of artistic and monetary value, "you can't use money as an index of quality. that is a fallacy. That will drive you crazy!"
(comment by John Baldessari)