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Manhattan merchants, with new challenges, struggled to introduce art to the public.
By Tess Thackara
This article is part of our latest special report on Fine Arts and Exhibitions, which focuses on how art persists and inspires, even in the darkest moments.
As megabreds adapt in reaction to the Covid-19 pandemic, they replace and schedule, and in some cases rearrange entire display locations.
As a result, New York will get unforeseen visits to the works of two wonderful painters this fall. A sample of Jenny Saville’s new art, scheduled for a spring opening in the Hong Kong area of the Gagosian Gallery, will arrive in Manhattan in November. And a cancelled exhibition of paintings through the vanquished Jack Whitten, bound for the Hauser branch
“The stage in New York is incredibly fluid, and this can replace our track record and plans, but we’re ready for that,” said Andrew Fabricant, Gagosian’s leading operations officer, who works with Ali Soufan, a threat strata and former FBI assistance in managing the reopening of gallery branches.
The effect of the virus on gallery operations “has been huge,” he added. Manufacturer. ” We’ve suffered, but not to a degree that really turns our backs on us. “
During the pandemic, galleries around the world faced a dramatic drop in sales. A recent report through UBS and Art Basel indicated that galleries in the top group, with annual sales of more than $10 million, recorded a 35% drop in sales. Fabricant showed that the figure is quite accurate for Gagosian, while Marc Glimcher, president of Pace Gallery, said his gallery’s decline is approaching 50%. “It’s hard, it’s never been harder,” he said. “But it’s not,” miraculously impossible. “
Pace is advancing with an ambitious fall lineup that remains close to the gallery’s pre-pandemic plans. (An exhibition of paintings through Adrian Ghenie of Europe has been delayed for a few weeks, until 20 November). the exhibition had to happen,” Glimcher said. The galleries, he explained, are “one of the only parts of global art that can begin without a full room. “Every cinema, every cinema has to be complete. We can display art and sell it safely. “
The gallery’s list of autumn exhibitions will come with a presentation of the paintings by painter Sam Gilliam, the first since Pace announced the artist’s performance. like John Lewis, Beyoncé and Serena Williams.
The logistical complexities of exhibiting a pandemic, Glimcher admitted, a summer of nightmare. “Everyone in my logistics branch is now bald because they’ve been pulling their hair all summer,” he joked.
Other galleries have to give up any prestige quo ghost. Hauser
“We couldn’t pass as if nothing had happened,” said Marc Payot, Co-Chair of Hauser.
The gallery has also made several adjustments to its programming to keep its own works and artists physically close to creditors and the public; in particular, reschedule Whitten’s exhibition for New York and recently open, with a handful of other high-end galleries, a new gallery in the Hamptons.
Megabreds have also increased their online bids for the pandemic to alleviate disruptions to their programming and the economic misery that accompanies it.
At the height of the first wave in New York, Gagosian launched a series of specific online sales of new paintings, under the logo called “Artist Spotlight”, to offer exposure to artists whose exhibitions have been canceled. “It was meant to bridge the gap, keep things warm, keep the light fixtures on,” said Sam Orlofsky, the gallery’s director. Strong online sales in recent months at galleries and auction houses have encouraged them to continue the series. the paintings of Takashi Murakami, John Currin and Nathaniel Mary Quinn.
The David Zwirner Gallery has distributed exhibitions in remote positions through its website. Since October 14, the gallery has been broadcasting the new soft and audio installation through artist Diana Thater, “Yes, there will be singing”, 24 hours a day from a stall. in Los Angeles. A meditation on isolation, the facility presents the singing of a whale that has been called “the most solitary whale in the world” due to its specific vocalizations.
As galleries replace and adapt to a changing cultural landscape, audiences don’t expect wonderful museum-quality exhibits in Chelsea. “There are things that are not possible,” Mr. Glimcher, “like doing amazing exhibitions on museum lending. “Pace has boosted those presentations until at least May 2021.
Hauser
“The beginning of next year will be the year in which we will make wonderful old exhibitions with loans from all over the world,” Payot said. As for those programs, “we can do everything we can hope for. “
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