Should More Art Fairs Become For-Profit, Invitation-Only Cultural Policy Platforms?

Something Art Basel Qatar certainly succeeded in doing was sparking a much-needed industry-wide reflection—one that continues to ripple weeks after its inaugural edition. At the center of the debate was the fair’s model, which departed significantly from the established commercial template of global art fairs. The curatorial structure—a deliberately restrained, boutique format that brought together just 87 galleries, each presenting only a single artist—was certainly different, aimed as it was...