Following the cancellation of Art Basel in Hong Kong, the art fair will offer online viewing rooms to supplement the experience.
The concept, first adopted by art dealer David Zwirner in 2017 on a commercial scale, has been a long-advocated solution to increasing access to such events.
Over 200 dealers who had intended to bring their work to Asia will now show some 2,000 pieces digitally, with a total value of around $270 million. Around 95 per cent of galleries who had planned on showing their works are participating in the online platform.
Zwirner said that the future had “arrived so much sooner” than he had anticipated.
He continued that: “If galleries are closed, how can we sell art? The online platform is something we have envisioned as an important part of what we do.
“In a funny way, the art world is late to the party if you think about other retail experiences.”
Critics of replacing in person sales with online ones say that the experience of viewing a piece in person cannot be supplemented by a digital version. However, in recent years, collectors have become comfortable purchasing pieces based on images from galleries they trust.
The New York Times summaries the overall ethos best – “when visiting a work of art becomes impossible, a digital substitute is better than not seeing the art at all.”
Those in favour of the move towards digital sales note that online platforms can provide context a physical experience cannot. Collectors are privy to academic works and set the piece in its historical context with greater ease. This is coupled with benefits to the climate overall, with fewer collectors flying to see works in person.
The art industry could also see a democratization overall as a result of this change removing the intimidation of entering an auction house or gallery.
According to Marc Spiegler, the global director of Art Basel, has said that the use of online rooms is available as: “the infrastructure was in place.” They will be open to VIPs from Wednesday and members of the public from Friday.
