Melanie Gerlis
Melanie Gerlis is the art market editor-at-large at The Art Newspaper and author of Art as an Investment
'Wealthy collectors should put more money into art schools than auctions to keep the industry alive'
In stark comparison to recent staggering auction-house results, educators are struggling to maintain funding, says our columnist Melanie Gerlis
Hopes for a slower, more local art trade dashed by a turbocharged market year
The global art world sprang back to life with a vengeance in 2022
The downside to art world altruism that no one talks about
Charity sales, while undoubtedly a positive, tend to skew valuable auction data upwards and muddy an already opaque market
Will the new UK government support the art market?
The UK’s new culture secretary—the seventh in six years—has a lot on her plate, so whether the art market gets much of her attention remains to be seen
'How dare YOU?': we speak to Just Stop Oil, the eco activists who threw soup over Van Gogh’s Sunflowers
Plus, Art Basel's inaugural Paris+ fair and an enigmatic Frank Bowling painting
Will Christie’s strike gold with its first private fund for tech ventures?
Crypto might have crashed, but online-only sales and other digital channels are allowing auction houses to deepen their business beyond the thin market for blue-chip art
Recession is likely—and the art market is not immune
It might take a little longer in our world for the bad news to feed through, but feed through it will
Why the sudden deregulation of New York's auction houses could lead to a more transparent art market—and a more opaque one too
With old codes now dispensed of, my hope is to lobby for new oversights that could enforce stricter and clearer rules
In a guaranteed market, buyers and sellers crave the unpredictable
The recent London auctions suggested a market of extremes, with some seeking the safety of guarantees and others speculating on works by young stars on the rise
Has the art market recovered? A deep dive into the Art Basel/UBS report
Plus, an exhibition about wartime hideouts in Poland and Ukraine, and Mondrian’s final work Victory Boogie Woogie
Will new code of conduct make collectors more ethical?
A new code aims to introduce more transparency to the business of buying
How canny auction houses and advisory firms are turning a generation of Amazon shoppers into art collectors
The middle market, traditionally the art world’s unloved child, offers treats galore
Art is now accepted as a financial asset, but it is still a questionable investment
It is now normal to consider art a bankable asset—for the very wealthy at least—but the art market is too volatile and risky for most investors
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
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
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
Fairs get an A-plus for enthusiasm while auction houses receive a B for initiative (but a D for digital art): an art market half-term report
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
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
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
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?
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
No rest for the frazzled for many in the art world
As galleries and auction houses slowly awaken from lockdown (some of them, at least), this summer will be one of work, not rest