Melanie Gerlis

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

'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

'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