Global Art Market
Helen Toomer On Photography, New York Art Fairs and the Challenges of the Job
It’s an art fair week in New York City, which means Uber prices will be surging and high-heeled feet aching all across Manhattan well into Sunday. This season marks the debut of newcomer PHOTOFAIRS, which focuses on photo-based and digital artworks from fifty-six galleries across the world. The fair runs at the Javits Center from September 8 through September 10, with VIP previews starting tomorrow. Director Helen Toomer came to the fair having previously directed IFPDA Fine Art Print Fair, PULSE Contemporary Art Fairs and Collective Design Fair. She recently caught up with Observer to talk about her latest endeavor.
Why does New York need another art fair?
New York is the center of the global art world and the pulse of what’s next in contemporary art. Yet there is this rapidly evolving area of contemporary art, where photo-based practices and new technologies are intersecting, that has no dedicated platform to explore it. There is so much exciting work happening in this sphere, as well as a growing audience for it, that it needs its own devoted space and platform to support and continue driving it forward. PHOTOFAIRS New York is not just bringing a new dimension to the art fair landscape in New York but also to the arts ecosystem overall.
Artmarket.com, an Art Market global player with a strong emphasis on data, databases, and AI technology, reports numerous achievements including state recognition, innovative partnerships, and the successful implementation of a Standardized Market Place for art transactions. The company, which is geared towards a sustainable and tech-forward future, engages a large member base and is recognized for its eco-responsible initiatives.
Read more: https://www.tipranks.com/news/company-announcements/artmarket-com-innovating-the-global-art-market
Global Art Market
Christie’s CEO on hopes for new Asia HQ in Hong Kong, and its place in global art market
The usually smooth back and forth between auctioneer and bidder had an unexpected hitch during the sale of the top lot in Christie’s evening sale in Hong Kong on September 26.
Xin Li, deputy chairman at Christie’s, indicated to veteran auctioneer Adrien Meyer that her client on the phone wanted to place a bid for Vincent van Gogh’s Les Canots Amarrés (1887).
Instead of just adding a standard increment to the last bid, which was already at around HK$200 million (US$25.7 million), she hesitated and then blurted: “26 million!” Her client, it
“You can either buy clothes or buy pictures.” (Gertrude Stein)
The air will be filled with a different kind of buzz in Seoul this week as it hosts the third annual international art fair, Frieze Seoul. Over 110 leading art galleries worldwide will assemble for four days at the COEX Convention and Exhibition Center in Gangnam to showcase various works of contemporary art to guests and collectors. There promises to be no shortage of side events taking place throughout the city in coordination with the exhibit. Attendance this year is expected to be similar to the past two years at about 70,000 participants, which is larger than Frieze Los Angeles (roughly 35,000) and Frieze New York (roughly 25,000) combined but still slightly smaller than Art Basel Hong Kong or Frieze London (each at about 85,000). The event is part of a broader trend that suggests South Korea is emerging as a tour de force in the art world.
Read more: https://keia.org/the-peninsula/south-koreas-emergence-as-a-hub-in-the-global-art-market/
