Viewing Rooms: Assessing the Model

Viewing rooms: in just a few months of the global health crisis, these two words have become a trendy expression. A digital concept thought to be a panacea for an art market abruptly deprived of its main physical platforms: fairs. From 23 to 26 September, Art Basel launched a new round of its "Online Viewing Rooms", after an initial salvo in March to replace its Hong Kong version – which attracted a record number of 250,000 visitors according to the organisers – then another in June to replace the Basel fair. So why in September, not replace the Basel fair the MCH Group was hoping to organise this month? Art Basel would therefore be entitled to two online versions... with another looming in October. Talk about confusing! The fair has really been racking its brains to find a way to stand out. Consequently, it has found a concept within the concept: an online fair in September of one hundred galleries exclusively with works produced in 2020 to whet the appetites of collectors looking for new pieces. This will be followed in October by another chapter, this time devoted to the 20th century.…