Out on the floor at Art Basel there’s talk about art for art’s sake:

”Surely, everyone is worried about similar issues,” said Jaime Riestra, director of Mexico City’s OMR Gallery, which has been exhibiting international artists at Art Basel since its debut in 2002. “The world is in a crisis and the art we are bringing this year reflects that.” [ . . . ] ”[M]aybe this crisis is an opportunity for people to speculate less about the value of art and return to what art is supposed to do — fill your soul,” Riestra said.

Others, like Alex Katz, prefer the art market even if they’re not interested in it:

Artist Alex Katz, making his first visit to Art Basel Miami Beach thanks to a party he co-hosted Tuesday night with NetJets, said he doesn’t worry about the value of his paintings. ”The commercial part of the art market is now very open,” he said. “It’s more in tune with what people are interested in. The museums seem to have lost sight of what people want; they make exhibitions for each other.”

[He adds:] “I have enough money to paint for the rest of my life without worrying about it.”

Slow but steady opening for VIPs at Art Basel (Miami Herald)