Response to the Critics of “Occupy Art Basel Miami Beach, Now!”

My recent New York Observer article “Occupy Art Basel Miami Beach, Now!” has upset some people in the art world, including certain dealers, collectors, writers and especially the Art Basel company. The piece was intended to stimulate dialogue and it certainly did, though I regret that much of the irony was lost on some. Yes, I began my article by saying, “I’m not going to Art Basel Miami Beach this year.” Yes, I then attended the fair. I decided that I once again wanted to see for myself the direction in which things were moving in Miami, and my observations last week only reconfirmed the points I made in my article. Truth be told, we are all complicit in the art market in one way or another, and so to accuse and attack as if one were “holier than thou” is the role of a real hypocrite—it’s pointless and it’s not even funny. My message regarding art fairs is nothing new. I’ve been writing that the Miami fair is out of control for three years now and I want to thank those who are reading and seriously considering the validity and evident timeliness of my views. With respect to Jerry Saltz of New York Magazine and reality television fame, I’ve done nothing to warrant his hyper-personalized attack. Nonetheless I apologize to any and all of you who in sympathy with him have taken offense, and so that we may be friends again I promise that I will never attend another art fair, buy another work of art or express my views in print.

1 comment

  1. Why no comments here? No one anything to say about it. No one reading it? Everyone still pissed?

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