Art Market Monitor

Global Coverage ~ Unique Analysis

  • AMMpro
  • AMM Fantasy Collecting Game
  • Podcast
  • Contact Us

London: The New Art Capital?

December 14, 2008 by Marion Maneker

There has been speculation among auction house employees recently that changes in the laws governing auction houses and art dealers in France will unleash a rush to Paris as the French try to reclaim their role as the center of the art world.

For those with a historical bent, the art market shifted to New York in the latter half of the 20th century, a product of American wealth, the emergence of powerful artistic movements centered in New York and the Cold War. (If only for the title, it’s worth citing Serge Guibault’s How New York Stole the Idea of Modern Art.)

Yet the evidence so far suggests London is rapidly becoming the new capital of the art business. Here’s the Art Newspaper on recent Yvon Lambert’s recent gallery opening in London:

“The collector base is important in the city,” he continued, adding that “the big difference today is Americans go more easily to Britain than to France; for art, London is the destination now.” He acknowledged, nevertheless, that now is a “difficult time”, given that the gallery’s opening has coincided with the worst financial crisis that the world has known since 1929, but he added that: “I’ve had a long career and it’s never been the right time to take an important decision.”

What Recession? London Gets New Contemporary Spaces (The Art Newspaper)

More from Art Market Monitor

  • Freud’s £4.5m Early Portrait at Sotheby’s in MarchFreud’s £4.5m Early Portrait at Sotheby’s in March
  • London Gives Some Second Thoughts About June SalesLondon Gives Some Second Thoughts About June Sales
  • Christie’s Scores By Just Getting It DoneChristie’s Scores By Just Getting It Done
  • Christie’s Improves Its Imp-Mod Category PerformanceChristie’s Improves Its Imp-Mod Category Performance
  • Looking for Signs in Sotheby’s £87.5m London Imp-Mod Evening SaleLooking for Signs in Sotheby’s £87.5m London Imp-Mod Evening Sale
  • Modern Art Ascendant: London Imp-Mod Market AnalysisModern Art Ascendant: London Imp-Mod Market Analysis

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: London

About Marion Maneker

Want to get Art Market Monitor‘s posts sent to you in our email? Sign up below by clicking on the Subscribe button.

Top Posts

  • After Pandemic’s Rapid Change, Sotheby’s Has 8 Predictions for 2021
  • A Season of Improvisation: Fall 2020 New York Modern and Contemporary Art Auction Analysis
  • Tony Podesta's Secret Art Buying
  • Keith Haring’s 1989 Retrospect Comes to Sotheby’s London Prints Sale
  • Four of Picasso's Women Valued at $28m Come to Christie's from Rose-Walters Collection
  • Norman Rockwell's Not Gay. But Is He a Great Artist?
  • Roy Lichtenstein’s Top Ten Auction Prices
  • Basquiat's Last Girlfriend
  • How to Chant Like an Auctioneer
  • Phillips Includes $2.5m Norman Rockwell Painting in November Evening Sale
  • About Us/ Contact
  • Podcast
  • AMMpro
  • Newsletter
  • FAQ

twitterfacebooksoundcloud
Privacy Policy
Terms & Conditions
California Privacy Rights
Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Advertise on Art Market Monitor