Art Market Monitor

Global Coverage ~ Unique Analysis

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

Artforum on the Precipice

October 29, 2017 by Marion Maneker

Brian Boucher’s excellent artnet story on the advertiser fallout from Knight Landesman’s departure from the magazine neatly balances the idea that art galleries are outraged at the revelations of Landesman’s behavior and the magazine’s handling of at least one serious complaint with the perceived need to support an important organ of the art world.

“I don’t plan to advertise in the magazine until we see real, systematic changes,” the New York dealer Lisa Spellman, who owns 303 Gallery, told artnet News by phone. “We will watch how the publishers handle the current lawsuit and what kind of future statements they make. Their statements thus far have been tone-deaf, confused, and, frankly, insulting, which only compounds the problem.” Spellman and her gallery initially responded to the news with an Instagram post, captioned, in part, “Predatory behavior cannot be tolerated in our society, our industry, our spaces.”

Unfortunately, this conflict plays out agains the backdrop of a much larger shift in the media. There is a common belief that Landesman has been able to stave off the loss of print advertising through the strength of his relationships and an institutional belief that the magazine needs to be supported.

For many galleries who felt that advertising in Artforum satisfied their artists more than it attracted gallery goers, the damage to the magazine’s reputation will only make it easier to stop buying ads. After all, most galleries that can afford to buy Artforum ads have built their own social media and special projects presence to reach their audience directly.

Boycott Artforum? In the Wake of the Knight Landesman Scandal, Galleries Consider Pulling Ads  (artnet News)

More from Art Market Monitor

  • Sotheby's Mid-Season Cont. = $6.99mSotheby's Mid-Season Cont. = $6.99m
  • Phillips de Pury 5/11 Evening Sale = $98mPhillips de Pury 5/11 Evening Sale = $98m
  • First Fourth PlinthFirst Fourth Plinth
  • Simon de Pury Single-Owner Sales Platform Partners with MallettSimon de Pury Single-Owner Sales Platform Partners with Mallett
  • Pink PiquePink Pique
  • How the Louvre SurvivesHow the Louvre Survives

Filed Under: General

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

  • 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
  • Tony Podesta's Secret Art Buying
  • Aboudia, Zemba Luzamba, Dickens Otieno Anchor Contemporary African Art Sale at Artcurial in Marrakesh
  • Basquiat's Last Girlfriend
  • Norman Rockwell's Not Gay. But Is He a Great Artist?
  • Selection Bias In Art Is What Creates Value
  • Cave Painting Porn Discovered
  • How to Chant Like an Auctioneer
  • Christie's to Sell $12m Yves Klein to Benefit The Water Academy
  • 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