Does the sale of fine art need physical spaces?

Jan 27, 2021
Masha Golovina of Masterworks.io talks about the two-tiered economy and says that when physical art fairs are coupled with online sales, "that's the ideal mix."
Two paintings by Fernand Léger that debuted at auction last year before the arrival of the pandemic, which disrupted gallery sales.
Tristan Fewings/Getty Images for Sotheby's

Should a museum auction its art to raise funds?

Oct 28, 2020
It's an existential question, says art critic Blake Gopnik. Once a work of art is in a museum, it's supposed to be more or less unsellable.
The Baltimore Museum of Art's plan to sell off pieces in its collection — including a silk screen of Andy Warhol's "The Last Supper," pictured above — was met with backlash from patrons and donors.
Lex Van Lieshout/AFP/GettyImages

Brooklyn Museum is first in U.S. to sell art to help pay its costs

Sep 18, 2020
Some cultural institutions are facing severe budget shorfalls, but most have a surplus of art that can be easily converted to cash.
People roam around the entrance to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City on Aug. 29, the day it reopened to the public after shutting in mid-March. The museum is preparing for a $100 million loss this year.
Michael Loccisano/Getty Images

Museums move to a seven-day schedule as they compete for attention

Jan 28, 2019
They have more than just industry trends to keep an eye on.
The Guggenheim is now open seven days a week year-round.
Stan Honda/AFP/Getty Images

American laborers as art at the National Portrait Gallery

Dec 5, 2017
"I want people to walk away recognizing workers in their daily life ... and possibly feel a little less alone walking away," says the exhibit's co-curator.
Smithsonian Museum curator Dorothy Moss leads Marketplace host Kai Ryssdal through the new exhibition “The Sweat of Their Face: Portraying American Workers.”
Bridget Bodnar/Marketplace

Yayoi Kusama exhibit is an economic puzzle for museum

Feb 24, 2017
The lines are long but entry is free. So how can the Smithsonian's Hirshhorn capitalize on its 'blockbuster'?
Yayoi Kusama's "Phalli’s Field," 1965, is one of the infinity mirror room installations at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in Washington, D.C.
Cathy Carver