Art fairs
Source: By Vandana Kalra: The Indian Express
In the last few months, the coronavirus pandemic has completely altered the global art calendar. Even as museums and galleries begin to open their doors across the world, for art fairs — that have increasingly become networking and trade platforms — it might take much longer to make a complete return. This week, Frieze London and Frieze Masters, the annual autumn art fairs that were scheduled to take place in London in October, announced cancellation for 2020.
In an email sent to participating galleries, fair organisers cited logistical challenges and restrictions on travel and big events as the main reasons behind the decision. The news comes weeks after Art Basel Switzerland, initially postponed from June to September, was called off. Several other art fairs have faced the same fate, including Art Basel in Hong Kong and Art Dubai.
Here is a look at why art fairs are important to the art world:
What are art fairs?
The fairs are essentially a marketplace where galleries, dealers, collectors and artists come together under one roof to exhibit and sell works. For the newer galleries it is a platform to tell the world of their presence and for recent collectors it is a place to view and learn. For veterans, meanwhile, it is an opportunity to network and perhaps discover the new. There are several reasons for the growing popularity of art fairs, including globalisation of art. Moreover, the fairs also generate money for their host cities, attracting tourists and participants. Parallel programmes are also usually planned, including workshops and interactions with artists, museum exhibitions and cultural events.
The ‘fairs’ are different from the ‘biennales’, with the latter focusing not on commerce but on showcasing artistic practices that merit discussion and engaging in a discourse on art.
How do galleries participate in a fair?
Most fairs have a screening process, where galleries are selected from a pool of applicants. While participation in the bigger and more prestigious fairs such as Frieze London and Art Basel Switzerland is more competitive — with the number of applicants more than double the number of booths — relatively smaller fairs have lesser contenders. Since the expenditure for the participating galleries is huge — including booth and set-up costs, shipping costs for the artwork, set design and travel and lodging — galleries prudently apply for fairs that meet their client requirement.
History of art fairs
Though not an art fair, the Salon des Refusés in Paris in 1863 is largely considered to be the first major “unofficial exhibition”, emphasising on the need to present an alternative to the prevalent official channels of exhibiting. It was essentially an outcome of protest — featuring works of contemporary artists rejected by the French Academy for the annual Salon exhibition. In 1913, the Armory Show in New York is believed to have brought modernism to American art, showcasing over 1,000 artworks from European and American artists, including Pablo Picasso, Paul Gauguin and Marcel Duchamp.
However, in more recent times and closer to the current format, the first modern art fair was Cologne Art Market, started as a trade fair for German galleries in 1967. Three years later, the first edition of Art Basel was held by Basel gallerists Ernst Beyeler, Trudl Bruckner and Balz Hilt. At present, there are probably more than 200 international art fairs taking places every year across the world. Though art fairs first mushroomed in Europe and the US, now they are being held in several other destinations, including China, Turkey, Brazil, Indonesia and Dubai. India Art Fair, an annual event in Delhi, was also launched in 2008.
The business on the floor
According to the UBS and Art Basel Global Art Market Report 2020, art fair sales reached an estimated $16.6 billion in 2019. The report states that according to the dealers, 15 percent of art fair sales were made before the fair, 64 per cent during the fair and 21 per cent after the fair, as a direct result of exhibiting at the fair. Fairs accounted for 30 percent of sales for dealers with a turnover of less than $500,000 per year. For high-end dealers with over $10 million in annual sales, art fair sales represented 47 per cent of annual sales. With the cancellation of most art fairs due to the pandemic this year, most organisers are shifting the viewing rooms online, but it is believed the art market will lose millions.
