December 8, 2017, Art Basel Miami Beach
Moderator: Josh Baer, Advisor and Publisher, Baer Faxt, New York
This panel addresses the way in which museums and galleries are responding to the increasing pressures of the global art world and whether they are choosing similar expansion models or different options for going global. The funding required for public institutions to mount high-quality exhibitions is becoming increasingly scarce. At the same time, major galleries are more often in a strong enough financial position to do so. Is the trend of museum curators crossing over to galleries a symptom of this shift? In the long run, is this shift good for artists and estates? What are the implications for the integrity of art history if it is being written and re-written in the commercial context? As privatization of the art field increases, are galleries becoming the new museums?
Thaddaeus Ropac, Founder, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, London/Paris/Salzburg; Juan A. Gaitán, Director, Museo Tamayo Arte Contemporaneo, Mexico City; John Zarobell, Associate Professor of International Studies, University of San Francisco, San Francisco