2022, the year that was...

12:21 a.m.

A curatorship with a shift of paradigm: Cecilia Alemani's at the Venice Biennale because it displayed the female artists in the exact place where they should have been in the History of Western Art. When it seemed that we had seen all the exhibitions with women artists as protagonists, this curator appeared in an international space with a story that included an exhaustive search and analysis, a selection of exquisite works and a recovery of forgotten artistic objects, assembled in a never-before seen montage. Alemani dared to include in the mostra of contemporary art not only works from bygone years but also by bygone centuries. That which has been forgotten or rejected because it belonged to a female artist came to light without arrogance and without aggressive speeches. It was there simply because that was its place. Thanks to Alemani or maybe not, the female artists dominated the art space as well as the prices in the market.

A market that seems to have no roof: The art market experienced an exaggerated exuberance in 2022, perhaps because of the two years of confinement or because spectacular collections went up for auction, such as Hubert de Givenchy's and Paul Allen's, where the prices obtained were hundreds of times higher than the estimates. Who buys? Firstly, those under forty years of age who know that art is a lasting good and that it can be experienced every day, maintaining its price, and secondly, the Chinese.

An unexpected situation: What the environmental groups did, simulating or even damaging the works in the most renowned museums. The intention is to draw attention to climate change but there was no need to smear the Mona Lisa with cream, or throw soup on Van Gogh's Sunflowers or stick themselves to The Last Supper. Question: Since these works are some of the most protected, where was the room's security when this happened?

Una baja inesperada: El mercado de las NFT se fue evaporando más aceleradamente de lo que surgió. Se atribuye la marcada disminución en los valores o el interés a la caída de las criptomonedas en el mundo. Recordemos que en 2021 Everydays: the First 5000 Days de Mike Winkelman (Beeple) se vendió en casi 70 millones de dólares, augurando un futuro de los más auspicioso en la tecnología emergente. El punto máximo de la curva fue en octubre de 2021 cuando Sotheby’s logró alcanzar lo 4,8 billones de dólares. Luego de ese suceso las criptomonedas se congelaron y lo mismo ocurrió en el mercado del arte con estas obras. ¿Qué aprendimos? Los clásicos nunca nos defraudan.

An unexpected downturn: The NFT market evaporated faster than it emerged. The marked decrease in values or interest is attributed to the fall of cryptocurrencies in the world. Let's remember that in 2021 Everydays: the First 5000 Days by Mike Winkelman (Beeple) sold for almost 70 million dollars, giving birth to one of the most auspicious futures in emerging technology. The peak of the curve was in October 2021 when Sotheby's managed to reach U$S 4.8 trillion. After that event, the cryptocurrencies were frozen and the same thing happened in the art market with these works. What did we learn? The classics never let us down.

A surprise: the immersive shows went around the world with enormous success. The general public does not seem to be interested in the absence of the aura, it does not matter to them not to have the original in front of them, but to receive a cascade of visual, auditory and even physical sensations through replicas of the iconic works. Therefore, we understand that visitors are not interested in argumentative resources or curatorships with several explanatory themes, they just want to experience the show and have fun.