Daniel Cassady describes the launch of Art Basel Qatar in Artnews as an attempt to establish an art market in a region using a top-down approach: "The main question is whether Art Basel and the Qataris can ‘reverse engineer’ an art market by introducing a major international fair before a dense commercial gallery infrastructure exists locally. Whether that strategy succeeds ... read more
Nifty Gateway is closing down. The well-known NFT platform is being pulled by its parent company Gemini, a crypto service provider owned by the Winklevoss brothers and based in Malta. Artists, collectors and ‘investors’ have until 23 April to transfer their assets to other platforms. Valentina di Liscia comments on ... read more
Andreas Platthaus finds a gauntlet thrown down to TEFAF at Brafa in Brussels for the FAZ on 24 January: "The expansion has a clear goal: to outdo Maastricht's competition (not only in the Benelux, but on a global scale). TEFAF will be held there in March, and the two universal art fairs are competing for the reputation of offering the most exclusive selection. TEFAF is ... read more
The art market in Austria has suffered two heavy blows. The leading art fair Viennacontemporary will no longer take place, as I report in Artmagazine. Michael Huber reports in detail for the Kurier (paywall): "In an interview with the KURIER, the managing director of the organising company, Markus Huber (no relation to the author), has ... read more
2026 is shaping up to be no different from the last six years. And Melanie Gerlis in The Art Newspaper is not giving the all-clear for the art market either: "Within the art market, the shift in taste towards lower-priced art (plus a few trophies) seems here to stay as collectors nurse the reality that their “investments” in art have ... read more
As expected by some and hoped for by many, the auction market picked up noticeably in the second half of the year, both internationally and in German-speaking countries. The major auction houses are trying to save themselves from the slump in the art market with handbags, trainers and jewellery, according to an analysis by George Nelson in mid-August for Artnews: ... read more