Melanie Gerlis

Melanie Gerlis is the art market editor-at-large at The Art Newspaper and author of Art as an Investment

Art fairs: how did they begin and where are they going?

Plus, Caribbean-British art at Tate Britain and Marco Brambilla's VR work at Pérez Art Museum in Miami

Hosted by Ben Luke and Aimee Dawson. With guest speaker Melanie Gerlis. Produced by Julia Michalska and David Clack. With Henrietta Bentall
Sponsored byChristie's

'Artists wield the power now: why Simone Leigh's departure from Hauser & Wirth (to join Matthew Marks) is indicative of a broader trend'

As the whole art world starts to question traditional norms, the artist said she was "still figuring out what I want from a primary gallery relationship"—time will tell if she has now worked it out

Booksfeature

Book extract | The highs and lows of art fairs

In this extract from her new book, The Art Fair Story: A Rollercoaster Ride, Melanie Gerlis examines the trajectory of these art world events, from the post-war European model to the global behemoths of the 21st century

'An art market half-term report: Fairs get an A-plus for enthusiasm while auction houses receive a B for initiative (but a D for digital art)'

The commercial art world came back with a vengeance in September, but issues around sustainability and volatile prices still abound

Is Paris really taking London’s art crown?

Plus, Marlene Dumas at the Musée d'Orsay and Christian Boltanksi remembered

Hosted by Ben Luke. with guest speaker Melanie Gerlis. Produced by Julia Michalska, Aimee Dawson and David Clack. With Henrietta Bentall
Sponsored byChristie's

'Women in the arts are winning the battle for equal employment—but they haven’t yet won the war'

The latest UBS Art Basel report finds that top jobs are finally going to women—even at the mega galleries

'Choose your unicorn: why angel investors are ploughing millions into art startups'

Tech-led art businesses are starting to attract venture capitalist funding, with the NFT platform MakersPlace recently gaining $30m investment

Why the art market must stop trying to predict the unpredictable and enjoy a well deserved #hotgirlsummer

Life is still uncertain but we know the industry can keep functioning against all odds through the pandemic, so enjoy the sun and save the questions for the autumn

'Livestreamed or IRL, gallery weekends or satellite spaces—the art market faces a paradox of choice'

Thanks to the pandemic, we have many alternative ways to buy, sell and enjoy art, and now this genie is out of the bottle, we don’t want to put it back

'Jobs for the boys… why I'm starting to feel old amid the new art world order'

The thrusting land of NFTs and tech nomads favours the young—and has yet to shake off the old ties of nepotism

'In our current dystopian art market, the pervasive and persistent Damien Hirst may well have the last laugh'

The British artist has had a bumpy boom and boost history when it comes to sales, but his ubiquitous brand makes him a safer bet in uncertain times

'The world of art fairs is going to change for good—and only the better-funded fairs will survive'

From hybrid online ventures to new subscription models, mass events in the art world won't look the same post-pandemic

Art marketcomment

A Covid-19 silver lining? Let’s not return to family-unfriendly art business as usual

The industry could work better for mothers and fathers if it doesn’t go back to the out-of-hours, out-of-town way things were

'Pastures new: why some top gallery staff are moving on from longtime jobs'

Without art fairs and hectic travel, the pandemic has transformed the way most of us work—and some are branching out rather than returning to their old lifestyle

Podcastspodcast

Frieze: the show goes on. Plus, Theaster Gates

It’s Frieze Week in London, yet there’s no big art fair at its heart. Can galleries create the usual excitement—and is anyone still buying?

Hosted by Ben Luke and Linda Yablonsky. with guest speakers Louisa Buck and Melanie Gerlis. Produced by Julia Michalska, David Clack and Aimee Dawson

'Gatherings are taboo in the Covid-19 world, so where does that leave experiential art?'

New venture Superblue aims to attract younger audiences by selling tickets for immersive events, but its model is at odds with a socially distanced society

'For many in the art world there is no rest for the frazzled'

As galleries and auction houses slowly awaken from lockdown (some of them, at least), this summer will be one of work, not rest

'Who are the art market's virtual winners?'

As digital fatigue sets in, a little editing goes a long way with online viewing rooms—and sometimes a humble PDF with a few human touches makes a welcome break

'How Covid-19 has forced the art market’s speedy digital conversion'

In lockdown, many galleries have had a Damascene moment with online programming

'Patrick van Maris is leaving Tefaf after five years: but has he left the fair in too much flux?'

In an increasingly competitive, mixed-category art fair environment, the president of the Dutch fair group made everyone apply each year

'Condo’s grassroots collaborative spirit is infectious '

The London gallery sharing initiative feels like a significant step in a healthier direction

'The complicated history of Boccioni sculpture is no barrier to record price at Christie's in New York'

Futurist bronze sculpture cast from another bronze in the 1970s sells for $16.2m—four times its estimate

'Hong Kong art market profits despite protestors’ pain'

If not immune to geopolitical unrest, then perhaps art is a refuge for money that is struggling to find its way into other assets

'New York's Future Fair is a worthy idea—but there are flaws in its model'

Despite its commendable 'galleries-first' mindset, the scheduled fair's profit-sharing programme is not as revolutionary as it might seem

Podcastspodcast

Frieze week: Ai Weiwei, Mark Bradford, Peter Doig, Melanie Gerlis, Hettie Judah

In this bumper edition we interview three of the world's leading artists, all of whom have shows timed to coincide with Frieze in London, plus all the latest news from the fair

Hosted by Ben Luke. with guest speakers Melanie Gerlis and Louisa Buck. Produced by Julia Michalska and David Clack

'An increasingly polarised marketplace needs a third way'

The divide between primary and secondary markets blur as sales skew in favour of a few recognised, bankable artists

Podcastspodcast

Art Basel and William Kentridge

As his show opens at the Kunstmuseum Basel, we talk to the South African artist about his latest works. Plus, we look at the 50th edition of the Art Basel fair. Produced in association with Bonhams, auctioneers since 1793.

Hosted by Ben Luke. with guest speakers Cristina Ruiz and Melanie Gerlis. Produced by Julia Michalska and David Clack

'When life happens, just remember that art fairs will be "fine without you for a while"'

Are the demands of the international art world are compatible with parenting?

'Forget millennials—the art market should be looking at Gen Z'

People under the age of 22 account for 40% of consumers

'Should dealers reveal past prices in provenance?'

London case surrounding Brueghel painting raises questions over whether a work's full sales history should be listed—even when that shows a big markup