One of the axioms of the art market is that buyers tend to fluctuate, over multiyear cycles, from an obsessive focus on mostly young up-and-comers toward a fascination with historical artists from different eras. That’s certainly the case this year, where there’s a lot more historical art on view in the city. But we’re also witnessing another, more portentous shift this season toward more private dealing. There’s a simple reason for this, of course: When the art market is contracting, negotiating prices down is best done in private; bidding them up is more easily done in public.
With that in mind, I went to four of the art fairs that recently rolled through New York, as well as a number of gallery shows that opened in time to take advantage of the tide of trade viewers and collectors who are in town for this two-week swirl of lunches, after parties, and frenetic negotiation. And, of course, I took notes.
