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Listen to our latest podcast episode featuring Martin Gayford, art critic and author of Venice: City of Pictures, published by Thames & Hudson. Gayford’s book brings the richness and complexity of Venice's centuries of history to life with his rumination on the city’s paintings, sculpture, and architecture that are both familiar to us and new revelations.

The conversation shines a special spotlight on the magical, cultural city in advance of the Venice Biennale, opening April 20, 2024.

“So there were all these people passing through, actually almost the same piece of space, looking at exactly the same view. And so there were social connections, and it also established a reputation for what it really still has, which is being the city of art. It was a city where people who were interested in the arts were drawn to go and stay.”
– Martin Gayford

Martin Gayford is an author and journalist. He studied philosophy at Cambridge and art history at the Courtauld Institute of London University. He's written prolifically about art and jazz, contributed regularly to the Daily Telegraph, and also to many art magazines and exhibition catalogs. He was art critic of the Spectator from 1994 to 2002, subsequently at the Sunday Telegraph before becoming chief art critic for Bloomberg News until 2013.

Martin's publications and writings include studies of the lives and works of van Gogh, Gauguin, Constable, Michelangelo, Lucian Freud, Antony Gormley and several beautiful collaborations with David Hockney.

Listen to this podcast on Spotify and Apple

Order the book here

Learn more about the podcast Reading the Art World here.

Listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts

Listen to our latest podcast episode featuring Leslie Ramos, author of Philanthropy in the Arts: A Game of Give and Take, published by Lund Humphries. Ramos’ book is a guidepost for cultural institutions, philanthropists, artists, galleries, and even financial advisors and public policy advisors on the importance of supporting the arts and doing it strategically.

And what I have found is that support does come at every level. And that if institutions manage to engage potential donors, and their mission is compelling and they can make a case for why they would need support, they will get support, even if not necessarily always at the million dollar plus level.
– Leslie Ramos

Leslie Ramos is a philanthropy and strategy advisor specializing in the arts and cultural sectors. She's the co-founder of the strategic consulting agency The Twentieth that provides independent expertise around giving, fundraising, collecting, and engaging with the arts ecosystem. Alongside her professional work, Ramos supports and holds voluntary positions in multiple arts nonprofits, and contributes to various international art media outlets, universities, commenting and lecturing on philanthropy and museum studies.

Listen to this podcast on Spotify and Apple

Order the book here

Learn more about the podcast Reading the Art World here.

Listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts

Listen to our latest podcast episode featuring Natasha Degen, author of Merchants of Style: Art and Fashion After Warhol, published by Reaktion Books and distributed by The University of Chicago Press. Degen’s book provides a unique perspective on the accelerating convergence of art and fashion, and highlights how Andy Warhol anticipated the merging of the art and fashion worlds as we see them today.

As fashion looks to art in its designs and its presentation and its runway shows and its marketing, then maybe there is less distinction between art and fashion. And maybe that movement between the two fields is something that is more possible now than ever before.
– Natasha Degen

Natasha Degen is Professor and Chair of Art Market Studies. She is a recognized writer and critic, having contributed to publications including The New Yorker, The Financial Times, The New York Times, Artforum, and Frieze; she serves as a member of the Editorial Board for the Journal for Art Market Studies. Among other prizes, Degen received a $30,000 art criticism award from the Andy Warhol Foundation and a Luce Scholarship which sent her to Beijing for a year. She compiled and edited The Market (MIT Press, 2013), an interdisciplinary anthology tracing the art market's interaction with contemporary practice. 

Listen to this podcast on Spotify and Apple

Order the book here

Learn more about the podcast Reading the Art World here.

Edward Berthelot/Getty Images. Illustration by Artnet News.

Artnet News Pro included Katya Kazakina’s report on the phenomenon of ‘Gmail Art Advisors’ and her conversation with Megan Fox Kelly in their The Back Room weekly recap.

The Artnet News team shares that “With the bubble for some ultra-hot ultra-contemporary artists deflating before our eyes, Gmail Art Advisors seem to be disappearing left and right. Historically, that’s par for the course when easy commissions dry up and the work of advising gets hard. Unlike, say, the 151 internationally approved members of the Association of Professional Art Advisors (APAA), the Gmailers have no interest in, or aptitude for, the less glamorous, long-term responsibilities of the trade. Think: carefully researching provenance, inspecting condition, dealing with the shipping and customs headaches that often come from buying abroad, and more.”

Founded in 1980, the APAA is the only standard-setting organization for the practice of art advisory. Quoted in Kazakina’s article, Megan Fox Kelly states, “Undisclosed commissions from a gallery are a big no-no for an APAA member, as is holding inventory. The key is to always act in the best interest of a client, and uphold the greatest transparency.”

Read the roundup list here.

A view at Paris+ par Art Basel 2022. Courtesy of Art Basel.

Art market journalist Katya Kazakina reports on the phenomenon of ‘Gmail Art Advisors’ and spoke with Megan Fox Kelly about the role and ethical practice in the art advisory profession.

In her article, ‘Gmail Art Advisors’ Are a Pestilence on the Market. Luckily, They Are Starting to Melt Away, One by One (February 23, 2023) Kazakina investigates the recent influx of highly transactional ‘advisors’, sharing that “There’s a way to ferret out bad actors and find good ones. The Association of Professional Art Advisors, for example, has 151 approved members internationally, up from 111 in 2013, with its ranks including curators as well as consultants.”

Founded in 1980, the APAA is the only standard-setting organization for the practice of art advisory. Quoted in Kazakina’s article, Megan Fox Kelly shares, “Undisclosed commissions from a gallery are a big no-no for an APAA member, as is holding inventory. The key is to always act in the best interest of a client, and uphold the greatest transparency.”

Read the full article by Katya Kazakina here.

Christie's James Bond charity auction raised £6m in October. Courtesy of Christie's.

Journalist Melanie Gerlis shares her art market insights on an an unprecedented year for charity auction sales and spoke with Megan Fox Kelly about recent auctions and opacity in market data.

In her article, ‘'The downside to art world altruism that no one talks about' (November 25, 2022) Gerlis reports on the recent philanthropic bent of the art market, reporting that “For the first half of this year, Christie’s reported that its charitable auctions had raised $440m, and confirms that 2022—taking into account November’s record-breaking $1.5bn auction of Paul G. Allen’s collection, whose proceeds are all earmarked for philanthropy—will be an unprecedented year for such sales.”

Quoted in Gerlis’ article, Megan Fox Kelly shares, “If a collector aligns with a particular charity then they can be willing to go a little beyond […] Buyers ultimately are still chasing the art more than the charitable cause and a philanthropic auction is an effective way to bring in donations from people who otherwise might not have supported their cause.”

Read the full article by Melanie Gerlis here.

Frieze London 2019. Photo by Linda Nylind. Courtesy of Linda Nylind/Frieze.

Journalist Melanie Gerlis reports on the historic value of the dollar, compared to six major currencies this month, and how it is making the next two weeks of art fairs in Europe all the more appealing for American collectors.

In her article, ‘Like Getting a 20 Percent Discount’: For U.S. Collectors at European Art Fairs, the Strong Dollar Means Everything Is on Sale’ (October 10, 2022) Gerlis reports on the effects of the rapid currency shifts, sharing that “for those outside the U.S. […] the economic headwinds are starting to burn—and requiring them to make adjustments.”

Quoted in Gerlis’ article, Megan Fox Kelly notes that, “Beyond the art fairs, collectors in the U.K. and elsewhere in Europe may be feeling the pinch and are going to be looking to sell certain things—maybe not in the coming weeks, in the coming months.”

“Whether that happens at auction or on the private side, clients are on the lookout for consignments coming out of European collections. After all, if the artworks are sold in Europe, Americans will be able, essentially, to get them on sale.”

Read the full article by Melanie Gerlis here.

Banksy's “Love Is in the Air” at auction on May 12, 2021, at Sotheby's. Credit: Nina Westervelt for The New York Times

New York Times reporter Robin Pogrebin reports on the purchase of Banksy’s painting Love Is in the Air and plans to sell off fragments of the artwork as NFTs to thousands of buyers at a fraction of the original purchase cost.

In her article, Cutting a Banksy Into 10,000 (Digital) Pieces (Dec 1, 2021) Pogrebin reports that the company Particle, founded in part by former Christie’s executive Loic Gouzer, purchased the artwork at auction for $12.9 million and the group now plans to sell 10,000 fragments of the work as NFTs, “allow[ing] a much wider audience to be part of a collecting experience” stated the executive.

NFTs have grown in influence in the market in 2020, since the landmark sale of the digital artist Beeple’s work Everydays: The First 5,000 Days for $69 million at a Christie’s online auction in May . The sale of digital artworks now accounts for one-third of online sales in volume, or, two percent of the overall art market according the Artprice database. With the rise in NFT sales we see the creation of consortiums angling to collectively purchase these digital pieces in order to own a slice of a particular artwork.

But many remain skeptical of NFTs their ability to maintain value as vehicles for investment. Quoted in Pogrebin’s article, Megan Fox Kelly stated, “A work of art is a unique object and collectors who love art want to own the object itself…The NFT is a separate entity from the object. I think we’re still in very early days of understanding how these’s NFTs exist as works of art…Right now they appear to be investment vehicles, with potentially significant returns, and the conversations around them are focused on that.”

Read the full article by Robin Pogrebin here.

Tulips by Jeff Koons at the Broad Museum. Photo by Santi Visalli / Getty Images.

Journalist Ron Marans reports on how collectors can nurture great artistic talent, beyond just purchasing their work.

Quoted in Marans’ article, ‘How to Become an Artist’s Patron’ (March 2, 2020), Megan Fox Kelly shares that, “When collectors want to get involved with the young artists or emerging artists it’s because they have a real interest in and love for the work that they’re making.”

Read the full article by Ron Marans here.

Michael Bowles/Getty Images for Gagosian Gallery.

Journalist Daniel Grant reports on Larry Gagosian's newly announced advisory arm of his high-profile gallery.

In his article, ‘As Gagosian Gets Into Art Advisory, Should Collectors Be Cautious of Taking Tips From Gallerists?’ (April 19, 2019), Grant shares that “There may be no moral to the story, but there is certainly a trend: Whereas, in the past, players in the art trade had distinct roles, increasingly individuals and companies are trying to be more full-service.”

Quoted in Grants’ article, Megan Fox Kelly notes that, “Sometimes, I find myself talking with a client’s financial advisor about how much of their assets should be invested in art. I’m asked to do things now that I never did just a few years ago.”

Megan is a long-standing member of the Association of Professional Art Advisors (APAA), which requires that its members “may not maintain inventory for sale, accept artwork on consignment or act as private dealers in any transaction.” That requirement protects advisory clients, according to Megan Fox Kelly. Because gallery owners “represent inventory they own or that is on consignment to them,” she explains, “their first responsibility is to their inventory and to their consignors.”

Read the full article by Daniel Grant here.

Artelligence Podcast.

Megan Fox Kelly spoke on an international program to celebrate Dickinson Gallery’s 25th Anniversary, held at their New York space during the Spring edition of TEFAF New York.

Alongside Todd Levin and William O’Reilly, the conversation explores the relationship between advisors, collectors and the art market ecosystem, as well as the joys and pitfalls of building an art collection.

Listen to the full conversation here.

Detail of Dan Flavin, Untitled (Marfa project), 1996. © 2011 Stephen Flavin / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Photo by Douglas Tuck, 2009. Courtesy of the Chinati Foundation.

Journalist Anna Louie Sussman reports on how artist estates are grappling with the question of whether and how to produce posthumous work

Quoted in Louie Sussman’s article, ‘How Dead Artists Continue Producing Work’ (June 7, 2018), Megan Fox Kelly shares that,“Protecting the artist’s market is an essential part of protecting the artist’s legacy. Whatever the artist’s intention, an artist’s legacy and her or his posthumous market can no longer be separated.”

Read the full article by Anna Louie Sussman here.

Image courtesy of Megan Fox Kelly.

Journalist Nate Freeman reports on Megan Fox Kelly’s recent election to become president of the Association of Professional Art Advisors (APAA).

Quoted in Freemans’s article, ‘Megan Fox Kelly Elected President of Association of Professional Art Advisors ’ (May 5, 2017), Megan Fox Kelly shares that, “We are not private dealers or auction house personnel and do not maintain inventories of art for sale. APAA members are independent advisors and advocates on behalf of their clients. We continue to grow our membership and look forward to welcoming art advisors and private collection curators who share our level of connoisseurship, scholarship, expertise in the art market, and ethical business practices.”

Founded in 1980, the APAA acts as a watchdog that sets the ethical standard for art advisors. Megan will replace Joe Houston, the curator of Kansas City’s Hallmark Art Collection, who served a two-year term. “Joe has raised APAA’s profile as a resource for collectors, and the general public through online platforms and our newly designed APAA News,” Fox Kelly said in a press release. “Thanks to his work, we continue to educate the public, media, and broader art community as advocates for standards of professional practice for qualified art advisors.”

Read the full article by Nate Freeman here.