Kenny Schachter recounts his fraught journey from Newark to London for his curated Paul Thek exhibition at Thomas Dane Gallery and the 56th edition of Art Basel in Switzerland, describing a near-crash landing and widespread anxiety among U.S. attendees about returning home amid FAA cutbacks and immigration fears. He highlights Mary Lovelace O’Neal’s presence at Jenkins Johnson as his Basel highlight, dismisses panic over a single unsold Giacometti as overblown, and critiques art journalists for lacking real market experience, while sharing conversations with collectors Mera Rubell and Dakis Joannou.
This matters because Schachter’s personal, contrarian report offers an insider’s perspective on the current art market mood—balancing geopolitical unease, generational shifts in collecting, and the resilience of the art world. His defense of the market against doomsayers and his emphasis on the enduring human need for art provide a nuanced counterpoint to prevailing narratives of decline, making the article a reflective commentary on art’s role in turbulent times.