Are Art Fairs Good for Collectors?
Art fairs like Basel, Scope, and Bridge pack up their fragile wares and trek from city to city, like gypsies of culture, to satisfy a new-found hunger for original art. What does this mean to experienced art collectors and to corporate collections? A long-time collector in London shares information about his own history of collecting and his feelings about what art fairs mean to individual and corporate collections. By Lynn Mueting The contemporary art world seems to have inspired a passion that has taken the art fair concept racing around the globe like wild fire. For example; each fall one the hottest ticket in town is the Frieze Art Fair in London. Dealing strictly with emerging artists, Frieze pulled in an estimated £33 million pounds (approx. $68 million) in 2005. Sales were expected to climb by 35% in 2007, but Frieze promoters did not make their 2007 figures public. Such copious amounts of cash-combined with A-list celebrity attention-have led to a number of fringe art festivals
