Annie Armstrong bids farewell to Artnet Pro's Wet Paint column after 198 editions, reflecting on her four-and-a-half-year tenure as the art world's gossip columnist. She recounts her first assignment at the 2021 Felix Art Fair in Los Angeles, where she nervously approached a group of art-world insiders, and describes the highs and lows of covering galas, parties, and scandals from Frieze Seoul to the Henry Street gallery scene.
Armstrong's departure marks the end of an era for Wet Paint, a column that became a must-read for its scoops on relationships, feuds, and behind-the-scenes dynamics in the contemporary art market. The column will continue with new authors in the new year, but Armstrong's personal voice and relentless reporting style—capturing both the glamour and grit of the art circuit—leave a distinctive legacy in art journalism.