The Palm Beach Post reports on the action at Art Palm Beach:

“This show is in Palm Beach,” he said, as if that explained it all. “People are going to buy art. The economy doesn’t matter; if they like it, they’re still going to buy.” Contemporary art show Art Palm Beach kicked off its 13th year Thursday evening with an opening that drew almost 6,000 people, according to organizers. […] People are still buying art, but they’ve been spending less,” said Kurt Nelson of Palette Contemporary Art & Craft Gallery in Albuquerque, N.M. This is Nelson’s first year at Art Palm Beach; he said he was drawn to the event because of its contemporary tone and the high-caliber clientele. Still, he’s hedging his bets. In addition to five-figure art pieces, his booth includes jewelry pieces going for as little as $61. […] “We have a lot of accessible art,” said David Lester, who organized Art Palm Beach with his wife, Lee Ann. “Too often, art fairs get carried away with the multimillion-dollar pieces, but we want things that are accessible and affordable for everyone.” Dick Coplan, owner of Coplan Gallery in Boca Raton, said that “prices aren’t as good as two to three years ago, but they’re still OK.” He said that his gallery, which focuses on photography pieces, has been lucky because that medium has seen increased popularity in recent years.

In bow to economy, million-dollar works mix with affordable pieces at Palm Beach art market (PalmBeachPost)