Art in the sun

THE past two years have seen the art world develop a split personality; the world of galleries and exhibitions has faltered, whereas the commercial art world, fed on cash, has powered on. As Covid forced physical exhibitions to close, the money makers welcomed collectors who saw art as a haven in uncertain times and simply did what they do best.

Art viewing moved online in the first lockdown, in spring 2020, but it quickly became clear that, despite the best efforts of artists and gallery owners, electronic screens are a poor way to look at pictures that demand attention. Oil on canvas or carved stone have a physical presence that pixels simply can’t transmit. After being deprived for so long, it was anticipated that visitors would rush to fill the echoing galleries. It wasn’t the case. In the month after reopening, footfall at the Tate galleries was at only 32% of the corresponding period in 2019; at the National Gallery, it limped in at 14%.

Meanwhile, nothing—not even a global pandemic—could halt the coupling of cash and art. Sotheby’s alone posted record sales of more than $7.3 billion (£5.36 billion), 26% up on 2019, and Non Fungible Tokens (NFTS) opened vistas of unimaginable riches. Nfts—essentially unique digital items— came of age when Everydays: The First 5,000 Days by Beeple (real name Mike Winkelmann) was sold for a sense-defying $69.3 million (£50.85 million). It was clear that new rules suddenly applied. NFTS accounted for $100 million (£73.3 million) in sales in 2020; in 2021 it was $22 billion. This is not only a topsy-turvy world, but one that has been shaken by the lapels for good measure. NFTS may yet turn out to be the tulipmania of the cryptocurrency age, but then, who knows? The art world is not normal.

Outside such uncharted realms, however, this year— adjustments made, and breathing back to regular—should see a return to a more recognisable art climate. Major shows such as the National Gallery’s Raphael exhibition—on ice for two years— and Tate Modern’s big Cézanne retrospective stand out in a packed exhibition calendar. The Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition will open in June again rather than September as it did last year, for the first time in its 250-year history. And the art and antique fairs, from Frieze and Frieze Masters to TEFAF in Maastricht, are slated to run once more.

The reprieve may not last—brexit clouds are massing in the distance—but, for now, art has regained its place in the sun.