After Brâncuși
When mega-galleries become canon makers
The practice
For artists and the professionals who shape the art world
The newsletter has a new structure. I have assigned a label to each issue so you know immediately what kind of conversation you are stepping into.
There are four recurring sections. Market watch, for reading between the lines of what is happening in the art market. The practice, for artists and the professionals who shape the art world. Unsolicited opinion, for when something happens and I say what I think. On view, the exhibitions I have visited in person, and what they left me with.
One more thing. This newsletter is entirely self-funded, no advertisers and no sponsors. Just research, time, and a genuine interest in making sense of the art world. From this edition, some issues involving deeper research and analysis will move behind a paywall. Everything else remains free.
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Hours before Christie’s hammered a Brâncuși at $107.6 million, Pace Gallery announced it had secured worldwide commercial representation of the artist’s estate. Coincidence? Perhaps. Perfect strategy? Without a doubt.
In this edition, I unpack what lies behind that impeccable timing and the bigger question it raises: how does an artistic legacy become a strategic asset worth hundreds of millions? Who decides how many works enter the market each year, at what prices and through which channels?
And what really changes when a gallery like Pace takes control?
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