Colin Gleadell uses Ben Brown to illustrate the miserable life in March of a global gallerist as three major fairs on three continents require the attendance of any gallery that wants to be thought of as world class:
“Fairs are a necessary evil,” says Brown. “I prefer the quieter contemplation of the gallery, but I sell more at fairs, and I make more contacts.” […]
While his galleries are vital for making exhibitions, doing the right fairs is crucial for business he says, though the crowded calendar can be problematic. “I wasn’t looking for three fairs so far away from each other yet so close together in time, it’s just happened that way this year. I have done Maastricht for seven years, so that is normal. Then I decided to break into the American market with The Armory Show, which is new for me, but then Art Basel Hong Kong, which I’ve done since it began, changed its dates. They’ve moved away from a date in May that clashed with Frieze and the auctions in New York, and was too close to the Art Basel fair in Switzerland in June. But in doing so, they’ve put the squeeze on the Armory and clashed head to head with Maastricht.”
Art Sales: globe-trotting gallerists (Telegraph)
