'Mooney Makes Sense" advice column in the July 2015 edition of Boerne Business Monthly Magazine

Check out the latest edition of Boerne Business Monthly Magazine for the newest installment of our monthly advice column called "Mooney Makes Sense". 

In this month's edition, Gallery Director, Gabriel Diego Delgado discusses the trending imperfections of the international art fair market. 

Click on the images to read the full article online or click here:

http://issuu.com/laurenstumberg/docs/july_2015_bbm_online

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Rise and Fall of the Titans

By: Gabriel Diego Delgado

Gallery Director, J.R. Mooney Galleries-Boerne

In recent times, the rise of the international art fairs has dominated the art markets. The pull for collectors and buyers to one location that in some cases houses over 200 art galleries is too much of a temptation. Why wouldn’t it make sense to go to these events, see the “cream of the crème” and meet the high caliber artists who are making guest appearances like some kind of art rock starts at the art booths that showcase their artwork?  Nationally, it used to be just the signature fairs in New York and California, with the who’s who of the art work present, but over the last 10 to 15 years the numbers have increased steadfast with some estimates tallying over 250 annual art fairs internationally.

Now let’s take in to account the people trekking to all these events trying to purchase the artists riding waves of trending prices and buzzworthy notations. Major collectors have woe stories of always on the go, planning that next art fair, scheduling vacations around art fairs dates etc. etc.  However, the exhausted accounts are reflective of an ever increasing jet lagged patron, crisscrossing the globe to see and be seen at these at these events. Flying and buying, more crowds and higher prices are making some collectors second guess these decisions to attend these kind of happenings.  Galleries see this push back and are talking to their clients to get a bigger picture on ever increasing unsatisfactory experiences.  

 Resurrect the role of the galleries, with buyers again choosing to stay close to home. A reinforcement of a cyclical trend we see as the gallerist play a role in sales decisions as consultants. Major collectors are beginning to feel burned out in the quest to buy the latest and greatest artist at these art fairs and are relying on the gallery dealer to make recommendations and acquire the pieces to be viewed in the gallery, not some international location where overhead is high and patients are waning.

Art Dealers and Gallerists used to be considered a middle man, to be kept at arm’s length with a sales driven mentality with sustainability always in the lurches as rent and bills had to be paid. However, that concept has begun to change as the rules of the game have begun to change. Yes, as in any retail business, products do need to be sold, and money made, but with the rise of so many galleries going out of business, only the strong ones stay to sell art another day. For the consumer, this means that those people who are running those galleries are the educated, scholarly and pedigree art dealers who have somehow weathered the turbulent financial art financial-scape of unpredictability.  

They are the ones to be trusted, balancing a sincere interest in careers of artists they represent, accurately reporting and accounting for after-market sustainability and investment and hoping for subsequent generations of art collectors to continue in the art community patronage.

Believe in your local art gallery dealer, and forge a relationship with their staff and owners. In almost every case, they are passion drive individuals who care a lot about their craft and have a heavily vested interest in the arts. Trust their judgement, recommendations, and vision, and continue to buy art whether from an art fair or a gallery.

Selected Upcoming Art Fairs
 

• ArtHamptons (Bridgehampton, NY)
  July 2 - 5, 2015
   
• Art Santa Fe (Santa Fe, NM)
  July 9 - 12, 2015
  
   
• Seattle Art Fair (Seattle, WA)
  July 30 - August 2, 2015
  
  
• Art Market San Francisco (San Francisco, CA)
  May 1 - 3, 2015
   

• Frieze Art Fair (New York, NY)
  May 14 - 17, 2015
  
   
• Art Miami New York (New York, NY)
  May 14 - 17, 2015
   

• VOLTA Basel (Basel, Switzerland)
  June 15 - 20, 2015
   
• Scope Basel (Basel, Switzerland)
  June 16 - 21, 2015
  
   
• Art Basel (Basel, Switzerland)
  June 18 - 21, 2015
  
   
• Liverpool Contemporary (Liverpool, England)
  June 26 - 28, 2015
  
  
• Art Aspen (Aspen, CO)
  August 13 - 16, 2015
   

• Houston Fine Art Fair (Houston, TX)
  September 17 - 20, 2015
  
  
• Texas Contemporary (Houston, TX)
  October 1 - 4, 2015
   

• Frieze London (London, England)
  October 14 - 17, 2015
   
• Frieze Masters (London, England)
  October 14 - 17, 2015
  
  

• Art Miami (Miami, FL)
  December 1 - 6, 2015

• Art Basel Miami Beach (Miami Beach, FL)
  December 3 - 6, 2015
   

• The Art Show (New York, NY)
  March 2016
   
• The Armory Show (New York, NY)
  March 3 - 6, 2016
   
• Pulse New York (New York, NY)
  March 2016
   
• Scope New York 2015 (New York, NY)
  March 2016
   
• Art Basel Hong Kong (Hong Kong, China)
  March 24 - 26, 2016
   
• Art Dubai
  March 2016
  
  

• Dallas Fair (Dallas, TX)
  April 2016
  
  
• ArtExpo New York (New York, NY)
  April 2016
  
   
• Art Brussels (Brussels, Belgium)
  April 2016
   

By: Gabriel Diego Delgado

Gallery Director, J.R. Mooney Galleries-Boerne

www.jrmooneygalleries.com