Melanie Gerlis

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

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

'Fingers crossed for China’s art market'

The latest Art Basel and UBS report makes for uncomfortable reading

'Should galleries adopt the Tinder approach?'

Dealers face a difficult marketplace but industry leaders say “engagement is the currency of the 21st century”

Tefaf Maastricht overhauls Modern art section in battle to stay on top in changing market

Loss of some regular exhibitors in favour of blue-chip contemporary art galleries is the latest in a string of changes to the venerable Dutch fair

'Lifers no more: can auction houses keep their talent up?'

A slew of recent high-profile departures begs the question—are top auction house executives burning out?

Jump-bidding for Rembrandt's fingerprints and a tale of two Van Dycks: dispatches from London's Old Master auctions

Christie's and Sotheby's sell near identical Van Dyck portraits of Princess Mary, and new records are set for Frans Hals and a jolly Judith Leyster

'Will art market speculation ever go away?'

Fifteen years on since we first reported from Art Basel in Miami Beach, art as an investment has taken a new form

'Big changes on the horizon in the art-fair world'

Concern for Delhi and Düsseldorf fairs following MCH Group withdrawal

Contemporary galleries start looking to the next generation

The gallery gene does not normally survive beyond one generation, so how can contemporary art galleries survive their founders and keep their edge?

Sotheby’s introduces mysterious new symbol in auction catalogues

The curvaceous M indicates a work that is "subject to right of first refusal"

Owner of £10m Giotto to appeal High Court ruling that painting left Italy unlawfully

Judge finds in favour of Arts Council England, but collector Kathleen Simonis argues Italian laws are incompatible with EU free movement of goods

'Can the art market thrive in a sharing economy?'

Melanie Gerlis on how millennials don’t seem to have the same collecting gene as previous generations

Lee Bul lights up Hayward Gallery inside and out for its 50th anniversary

Korean artist has covered exterior of Brutalist gallery with 180,000 crystals as part of mid-career survey