«I JUST READ EVERYTHING»

“We used to sit around in the gallery on a Saturday afternoon hoping someone would come in,” said Arne Glimcher, of the Pace Gallery in New York. “What we are dealing with now is destination shopping. We have to be in different places. We bring the art to the collector rather than bringing the collector to the art.”

Some dealers only reluctantly take part. Paula Cooper, the New York art dealer, attends some fairs because they allow her to see work from numerous countries in one place. But mostly she sends others from her gallery, decrying the loss of what she describes as a more thoughtful time even just five years ago when she could sit with artists and collectors and talk about art. “It is just like any business in the world now,” she said. “It is becoming a global enterprise.”

Mr. Glimcher, too, said he preferred others from his gallery to make the global trek.

“Fairs are beneath the dignity of art,” he said. “To stand there in a booth and hawk your wares — it is just not how you sell art.”

-New York Times