Galerienstudie

In keeping with Berlin Art Week, which is marked by massive slumps in the art market, a shakeout among medium-sized galleries, and growing polarization, our friend Hergen Wöbken and his Institute for Strategy Development have published their third gallery study. Hergen explains the nuanced picture it paints in an interview with Deutschlandradio Kultur's “Fazit” (German language). Today at 11 a.m., Hergen will speak at the Art Week Garden on “The dual role of the gallery—between cultural institution and business model.”

At Works on Skin, we build on the groundwork laid by galleries. We mourn every gallery that fails to survive and closes its doors, making the diverse landscape of contemporary art one species poorer. But we also see that the classic gallery model, with exclusive representation of artists throughout their careers, is obsolete.  When the night is darkest, the day is nearest. We see ourselves as part of this healthy renewal and a small piece in the big picture of a diverse art market landscape that combines a new passion for viewing and collecting art with robust revenue streams for medium-sized and emerging artist studios.

Roland-Philippe Kretzschmar, aka “The Art Buystander,” has just published a fascinating Substack article "How Gen Z and Millennials Are Changing the Game: Collecting with Conscience". that explores what drives a new generation of collectors who are no longer focused on investment and trophies, but rather on values and awareness. This is music to our ears.

(Photo: Hergen Wöbken, photographed by Jeanne Degraa)