Art Fairs Face Digital Shift and Criticism Amid Pandemic Cancellations

Frieze London and Frieze Masters are launching an online version for 2020, while Art Basel Miami Beach cancels its physical event entirely, planning digital alternatives. The author expresses a preference for Frieze's hybrid approach over Art Basel's full cancellation. High-value art sales are noted as thriving online, exemplified by a $15 million Alexander Calder sculpture sold through Hauser & Wirth's website. The piece critiques art fairs as environmentally harmful and socially alienating for critics and artists alike, recalling a personal experience of missing Frieze London in October due to intoxication. The author envisions a future where only expensive art exists in virtual fairs, pushing lower-tier work back to physical galleries. Before Frieze Art Fair began in 2003, London had the London Art Fair in Islington, which was often poorly received. The article concludes by suggesting art fairs might become obsolete if digital viewing rooms replace them, as updated on 16 September 2020 with Art Basel Miami's online plans.