The opening of ArtRio serves as a reminder of the expansion of the art market to economies that are breaking out. The rapid growth of the fair and alacrity with which newly wealthy Brazilians are coming to art underscores the global growth of the art market. But why? Is it simply a matter of the rich liking art? Or has art entered a new position in global culture.
Our take has been that art is the touchstone that unites the international class of business owners. To call them middle class is misleading. Art buyers tend to be owners of enterprises that generate considerable amounts of cash. These owners are using their cash to participate in a global language where art works are the nouns and verbs. This view was echoed in Artsy’s interview with ArtRio director Brenda Valasi:
Indeed, we saw a significant increase of new collectors these past years. The economic growth was undoubtedly one of the factors for the emergent countries to gain more attention worldwide, and consequently our institutions are now taken seriously by the art scene opinion-makers.
Collecting art has become a way to communicate in this post global era. It is much more a way of bringing people together and supporting the community who share a common interest than to segregate cliques. We always work with the distinguished profile of our collectors, “collectors-to-be”, and visitors in mind, and it is essential to give them an ample panorama of today’s art circuit.
ArtRio Director Brenda Valansi on Brazil as the Art World’s Hotspot (Artsy)
