The BBC’s The Big Deal with Steph McGovern has brought art dealing into prime-time television. Contestants compete to sell contemporary art, negotiate commissions and generate profits, turning the business of art into entertainment. But behind the TV format sits a serious question: when does selling art start to overshadow the art itself? Writing in The […]
When contemporary gallery Heidi moved its entire operation from Berlin to London in September 2026, it wasn't simply swapping one fashionable art capital for another. Founder Pauline Seguin pointed to London's growing community of younger galleries, its concentration of collectors and its appetite for experimental contemporary art. Meanwhile, rising property pressures, shrinking cultural budgets and […]
AI is changing the art world. But the most interesting question isn't whether artists will use AI. It's whether artists will have a meaningful say in how AI is designed, developed and applied. That question sits at the heart of a new initiative from London's Serpentine. Writing in Vogue Business , Serpentine artistic director Hans […]
A new Art Basel article, “What makes an art gallery last? Founders share what really works,” looks at galleries that have survived, and often thrived, through decades of economic cycles, changing collector behaviour and shifts in the art market. Its central message is surprisingly positive. Galleries can have remarkable staying power. More than half of the […]
A new generation of collectors wants to buy original art - but artists and gallerists need to make it easier for them to take the first step. For many people, buying an original piece of art still feels surprisingly intimidating. Where do you start? What should you look for? How much should you spend? What […]
The opening of The Light, a new centre for culture and contemporary art in Durham, offers an interesting example of how the experience of art is becoming broader. The £17m centre opened on 22 August in the former Durham Light Infantry Museum and Art Gallery. Its inaugural exhibition, Victory Over the Sun: Encounters with Light, includes […]
BBC Two's new series The Big Deal with Steph McGovern puts an unusual part of the art world centre stage: the business of representing and selling art. Seven pairs of aspiring art dealers are thrown into the contemporary art market and challenged to identify promising artists, negotiate commissions, understand what buyers want and, ultimately, make […]
More than 80 previously unknown artworks by novelist and philosopher Iris Murdoch have been discovered in a concealed attic room in her former Oxford home. The collection includes paintings, sketches, surrealist landscapes and what is believed to be Murdoch’s only known self-portrait. Twenty-five works are now being shown as part of Iris Murdoch Amongst the […]
For emerging artists, creating great work is only part of the challenge. You also need enough time, money, visibility and access to keep going until people start paying attention. A recent MoneyWeek article, “Who pays for emerging art and the artists who make it?”, puts some uncomfortable numbers behind that reality. It cites research showing […]
Artificial Intelligence has become one of the most talked-about technologies in the creative world. For many artists, however, the conversation often feels unsettling. Headlines focus on AI generating paintings, copying artistic styles or replacing creative professionals altogether. It's understandable that many artists are cautious. But that's only one way of thinking about AI. At LettsArt, we believe […]
