My Word - Christmas 2020

We will all be delighted to shut the door on 2020, and we look forward to what this next year might bring. We have focused this issue on art market forecasts.. As we have noted, COVID has brought many changes to the art world, some of which will be permanent. As you will see in this issue, we will be utilizing technology far more in buying, selling, and maintaining our art. For some, there may be a learning curve, but, ultimately, it will be easier than what you have done in the past.

With baby boomers continuing to downsize I expect more fresh material coming to auction in 2021. This should be an exciting time that will also bring some adjustment, as all but the top of the food chain will sell, but for less. This has been a particularly onerous reality for tribal art, as collectors, dealers, and curators all grow a bit older. The positive aspect to this downward trend is social media and the internet that has opened domestic markets to global buyers that can now view objects easily from anywhere. The small tribal art business could never have afforded access to these markets. These platforms will improve as they try to attract buyers willing to spend more with confidence. In this issue, we have featured some of the technological advances, as well as, an analysis of the burgeoning online market..

We are grateful for the support and growing relationships around the world. We all seem to be a bit closer now as COVID presents us with a shared crisis to overcome. Here in Texas, the positive cases are increasing with hospital staffing becoming a serious issue. You recall that in the Spring, New York had the hospital ship Comfort, the Javits Center, and the Central Park Field hospital. Unfortunately, for many cities around the country where this type of facility might be converted. It is not, however, viable when you don’t have the staff to run the facility. A good friend and medical expert also informed me that HMO’s have been reducing bed capacity over the past decade to improve their bottom line. It all impacts us now.

I miss the interns, as for the first time in years, they didn’t join us in the gallery. Hopefully, we can address that by Spring of 2021. The Roadshow also plans to get back on track. They were able to shoot some interesting segments staying in the Northeast during this past year. We expect this will start to be shown in early 2021. We are all looking forward to that.

So, stay safe and get ready for more vaccines and better testing to improve our lives. Marry Christmas and Best Wishes for a great 2021. JB