Melanie Gerlis
Melanie Gerlis is the art market editor-at-large at The Art Newspaper and author of Art as an Investment
Comment | Artnet sale underscores its impact on the industry—and its limitations in today's landscape
The online data company had a truly radical offering when it started in 1990, but how will it prosper in a changed world?
Is Ari Emanuel getting a good deal with his purchase of Frieze?
The entertainment company’s former chief executive paid a reported $200m for the art fair and media brand—a sum which has raised eyebrows
Comment | Trims to Sotheby's African Modern and contemporary art department are just one unwelcome sign for this previously healthy market
Auction sales for contemporary and Modern African art have declined—but African art fairs are still going strong
Slim Hong Kong evening sales at Christie's and Sotheby's draw solid results for a 'tough season'
Both auctions represent significant decreases from previous sales seasons, but strong sell-through rates and increased bidding from mainland China indicate signs of recovery
New leadership marks a fresh chapter for Tefaf
Dominique Savelkoul, Tefaf’s new managing director, looks to steady the art foundation after a tough few years and set it on a new path for the future
Comment | Five years after opening, Cromwell Place looks more like a V&A piggybacker than a market disruptor
The London commercial gallery initially had big ambitions, but is now having more success feeding off the nearby Victoria & Albert Museum
Comment | Plunging sales see shine come off luxury goods at auction
'The so-called “gateway drug” effect of luxury has been overstated'
Comment | Sotheby’s fees fiasco displays terrible timing and a miscalculation of market dynamics
The auction house's swift reversal of its recently overhauled premium structure is an admission of how wrongly it read the runes, writes Melanie Gerlis
Watercolour submitted online to Christie’s found to be by Turner
The Venetian lagoon painting—submitted by a member of the public to Christie's digital appraisal service—comes to auction in New York with an estimate of $300,000 to $500,000
The art fair dilemma as in-crowd VIP collectors reduce fair attendance
Long-term buyers are going to fewer fairs while the growth in numbers is from people less likely to buy
Sotheby's does a U-turn on new fees structure
Less than a year ago, the auction house reduced buyer’s premium and tried to introduce a flat 10% vendor's commission to avoid bartering. It did not prove popular with sellers
Comment | Popping the hood: what’s driving sales of luxury cars at auction houses
Christie's acquisition of Gooding & Company has renewed focus on collectible automobiles
Running an art school in London is not easy, but in The Art Academy the capital finally has a space that breaks the mould
The institution, which is about to welcome the first students to its new home, takes a refreshing and genuinely democratising approach to art education
The new auction calendar: everything, everywhere, at every opportunity
All change as the final auction season of 2024 goes into full swing
Matisse and Bonnard show is the cherry on Fondation Maeght’s 60th birthday cake
Both artists in landmark exhibition were key to the creation of the foundation in 1964
Can co-opting celebrities, luxury and fossils power up the art business?
The rich are still looking to buy art, but they want it buttressed by personalities and entertainment
How the photography trade is lifting as the medium’s stigma fades
Sales volumes have hit a record high, with art at lower price levels particularly popular
Leadership shuffles show auction houses and mega-galleries rethinking the trade
In a stubbornly stagnant market, the big players are searching for new ideas that will bring sustained growth
Tefaf’s new Focus stands aim to be more than just another ‘special’ section
Made up of ten main fair exhibitors doing double duty, the section offers the space to experiment.
Third time may be the charm for India’s budding art trade
Although the sceptics say we have been here before, there are ample reasons to believe India's art economy has entered a new era
Phillips auction gives James Rosenquist estate the best of both worlds
Pop artist’s paintings have seven-figure prices, but his prints are available for just a few hundred dollars at New York sale
Why galleries can’t quit fairs despite higher costs and lower returns
Research reveals that fairs are not as lucrative for galleries as they once were—but what is the alternative?
How Gagosian's east London Christo show proved the power of the pop-up exhibition
Who says something eye-catching and short-term can’t also be serious?
Auction houses use lucrative tools to prop up the art market—could they become victims of their own success?
Shielding art prices from organic market conditions doesn't always pay off
'Forget the Brexit blues: for art, London is still where it’s at'
There are plenty of encouraging dynamics in the city this summer
'The baby boomer wealth transfer is upon us—but how long will demand last for their post-war taste?'
Boomers may do well to sell their acquisitions sooner rather than later, as tastes in art are changing
Art market wobble: what happens if banks go bust?
Plus, hip hop in Baltimore and Juan de Pareja, the artist enslaved by Velázquez
'Are Old Masters having a renaissance? Leaner times breathe new life into a tired market'
Collectors tend towards safety in times of trouble—and current uncertainty is causing a shift in buying habits
'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