In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, we’ve had to adjust to a huge range of changes to our day-to-day lives, which has had an impact far beyond necessities like buying groceries or socialising. The culture industry has taken a particularly significant hit, with major theater chains and concert venues shuttering permanently in the virus’s wake as they struggle to afford both rent and wages for staff.
The same has been true for the art world, with one recent survey showing that around three quarters of galleries “face severe financial hardship or even closure within the next year”, though only 35% of those have the finances to stay open until this time next year. Even when they have been open, footfall has been down, and those with the means have resorted to taking their collections online to offer the gallery experience to art lovers across the globe.
