To see, hear, and feel art is one thing—to know how art is distributed, traded, and appreciated is the other side of the coin. Whether on the stock exchange or the museum floor, both share a closely interwoven history. The experienced art dealer and mediator Dirk Boll tells it with the help of a fascinating constant: every ten years, the art and business market undergoes a profound shock or transformation. Whether the economic crises of 1990 or 2010, the bursting of the first Internet bubble in 2000, or the coronavirus crisis— every decade leads to a completely different assessment of art. This is especially true in the context of digital developments, from the virtual viewing room to new distribution opportunities, which are currently causing the art world to undergo its most lasting changes. So, it is high time to take stock and see art with new eyes.

DIRK BOLL (*1970, Kassel) studied law and cultural management in Freiburg and Ludwigsburg and received his doctorate on the organizational forms of the art market. Since 1998 he has been working for Christie’s auction house. He has been the president of Christie’s Europe, Middle East, Russia, and India since 2017.