Miami— May 04, 2020—This month we are celebrating Tresart’s 20th Anniversary.  It is odd to celebrate such a milestone during COVID. However, it has provided the opportunity to reflect on the gallery’s 20-year history.  This is by far the most traumatic event the art world has endured since the gallery opened in 2000.  According to The Art Newspaper, galleries around the world are expecting to lose an average of 72% of their annual revenue due to the Covid-19 pandemic.  I’ve never been through anything like this. No one has. However, while the situation has strained the market overall, I remain optimistic about the future of the art world. 

In recent weeks, I have been encouraged to see the energy displayed by our arts community as people mobilize to support artists and art workers; begin new partnerships and collaborations; and turn to digital technologies. These efforts will have a lasting impact—igniting imagination, access, and cooperation. 

In December 2019, Tresart left its white-cube-style gallery in the Wynwood Arts District and relocated to a spacious loft about five minutes from the old gallery.  We planned this move with the goal of creating a space to nurture our relationships with local clients and colleagues in a more personal way, and expand our digital presence to reach beyond. These early changes put us in an advantageous position.  The flexibility of our new business approach will protect us from the effects of market downturns in a post-COVID world. We will continue to be available to our clients and colleagues as we navigate our new norms together.

It is yet to be seen what the “new normal” will look like but without a doubt, art will prevail, and art organizations and collectors will continue to exist.  Maybe collecting goals, interests, and access will be different as we are all going through some kind of post-crisis transformation, but an artist’s need to interpret the world is unstoppable, as is a true collector’s commitment to culture.  Art will keep going.

Antonio de la Guardia

Photo: Pablo Picasso. Guernica, 1937. Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía Collection © Sucesión Pablo Picasso, VEGAP, Madrid, 2017