讓小畫廊擠破頭的瑞士巴塞爾藝術展

The hundreds of gallery owners who apply each year to secure a coveted booth at Art Basel, the Swiss art fair, spend weeks on their admission applications. They describe the evolution of their galleries, track the history of their exhibitions and list the biographies of their artists. Then there is the matter of the “mock booths,” intricate sketches, miniature models, even virtual tours, of their planned exhibition spaces, complete with tiny reproductions of the exact works they hope to exhibit.

每一年，幾百家畫廊主人都要遞交申請，確保自己在瑞士巴塞爾藝術展(Art Basel)上擁有令人覬覦的一席之地。他們往往要花費幾個星期準備申請資料，要描述畫廊的進步，追溯畫廊的參展歷史，列出旗下藝術家的小傳。之後還有“模擬展位”這件事：製作複雜的草圖和微縮模型，甚至還有虛擬遊覽演示，以展現展覽的預設空間，這些空間裏放有與參展計劃一致的微小的展品複製品。

All to impress the fair’s selection jury, six fellow dealers who have become among the most powerful gatekeepers — and tastemakers — in the art world.

這一切都是爲了打動博覽會的評審團，評審團由六位藝術品交易商組成，他們是藝術界最有權勢的把關者與品位評判者。

“It is like the Olympics,” said the New York dealer Fergus McCaffrey, “or the European Champions League, and every good gallery and their artists wants desperately to compete.”

“就像奧林匹克運動會，”紐約交易商弗格斯·麥卡弗雷(Fergus McCaffrey)說，“也有點像歐冠，所有好的畫廊和畫廊旗下的藝術家都拼命地想參加競爭。”

As the art market explodes in value and collecting becomes a global treasure hunt, the importance of showing at art fairs has soared, too. Fairs now account for about 40 percent of gallery sales by value, and as collectors flock to destination bazaars in places like Paris, London, New York, Miami and Maastricht in the Netherlands, dealers, museum curators and art-world groupies follow.

隨着藝術市場的價值迅速爆炸，收藏成了全球的尋寶活動，在藝術展會中展示自己的重要性也隨之上升。如今，藝術展覽會上的銷售額約佔畫廊銷售額的40%，收藏家們集中在巴黎、倫敦、紐約、邁阿密和荷蘭的馬斯特裏赫特(Maastricht)這些地方的大市場；交易商、策展人和藝術界的“骨肉皮”們亦隨之而來。

And perhaps no fair, dealers say, is harder to get into than Basel, where for the privilege of paying $50,000 to $80,000, galleries get to sell to the highest of high-end collectors, build relationships and burnish their reputations by sharing space with the best dealers in the world.

交易商們說，最難打入的展會或許還要算是巴塞爾，參展需付5萬至8萬美元，在這裏，畫廊可以把作品推銷給最高級的收藏家， 參展人可以和世界上頂尖的交易商共處一室，建立業內關係，提升自身口碑。

“It is like getting admitted to a club,” said Jeffrey Deitch, a private art dealer and former museum director and gallerist who waited seven years before the doors opened to him in 2006.

“就像獲得了俱樂部的准入資格，”私人藝術交易商、前博物館館長和畫廊經營者傑弗裏·戴特什(Jeffrey Deitch)說，他等待了七年，終於在2006年得到了進入巴塞爾的機會。

At first glance, the chances of being selected for the fair, which begins on Tuesday, don’t seem so slim, with about 900 galleries from around the world vying for the nearly 300 booths. But a look at the last seven years of the Basel lineup reveals a reality of much longer odds for newcomers, as a roster of veteran galleries end up dominating the fair year after year.

展覽今年的准入評選程序將於週二開始，全球900個畫廊競爭大約300個展位，乍看上去機會並不是那麼小。但是看看近七年來巴塞爾的參展陣容就會發現，對於新來者，機會確實很小，年復一年，都是同樣一批資深畫廊在主宰着展會。

The result for Basel aspirants can be a regimen of yearly disappointment, even for well-established names.

巴塞爾的候補者們可能每年都要經歷例行的失望，就算那些已經很有名氣的人也是如此。

Anke Kempkes, a respected Manhattan dealer, has applied unsuccessfully at least five times. Dorsey Waxter, who is president of the Art Dealers Association of America and helps organize the popular New York Art Show, has failed for years to get in.

恩克·坎普克斯(Anke Kempkes)是一位頗受尊敬的曼哈頓交易商，他已經連續五次申請失敗了。多爾塞·瓦科斯塔(Dorsey Waxter)是美國藝術交易商協會(Art Dealers Association)主席，幫助組織很受歡迎的紐約藝術展，她也失敗了好幾年。

“I have been with the in-crowd at the Art Show but I am not in Basel,” Ms. Waxter said.

“我已經打入藝術展的時髦小圈子，但還是沒法進入巴塞爾，”瓦科斯塔女士說。

A Little Fair Grows Bigger

從小展覽起家

It wasn’t always this way. When Art Basel began 45 years ago in a staid Swiss town best known for banking regulations, it was primarily a fair for European galleries hoping to sell Modern and contemporary art to the growing ranks of mainly European collectors.

一開始並不是這樣的。45年前，巴塞爾藝術展在這座一本正經、以銀行業而聞名的瑞士小鎮上開幕，基本上只是一個歐洲畫廊的集會，讓畫廊能把手頭的現當代藝術品出售給日益增加的收藏家們。這些收藏家主要來自歐洲。

Galleries were usually invited back year after year. But a jury system, introduced later in the 1970s to screen applicants, gradually became more rigorous as Basel leveraged its Swiss efficiency, convenient location and five-star service to attract and cultivate an ever wealthier and more demanding clientele.

年復一年，通常是藝術展邀請畫廊。但到了70年代，篩選參展畫廊的程序中突然引入了評審團制度。篩選標準愈來愈嚴格，巴塞爾也開始利用瑞士高效、便利的區位條件和五星級服務吸引和培育更加富有、需求更大的大客戶。

Today, V.I.P. collectors are lavished with Champagne breakfasts, lectures, tours, BMW car service, and most important, early access to the fair so they can buy the best art first.

如今，貴賓收藏家們在巴塞爾一擲千金，享受香檳早餐、演講、旅行、寶馬車服務，不過更重要的是可以提早參與藝術展，搶先買下最好的藏品。

These days Basel draws about 92,000 visitors to its six days of connoisseurship, selling and schmoozing. Many attendees are just window shoppers paying $50 for a day pass to watch the world’s richest people buy the planet’s most expensive art, like the person who paid around $34 million last year to walk away with a Warhol “fright wig” self-portrait (sold by Skarstedt, of New York and London). Axa, an insurance company that is one of the fair’s sponsors, estimates that more than $3 billion worth of art will be put up for sale at the fair this year.

如今，爲期六天的巴塞爾藝術展上充滿了賞鑑、交易與閒談，能吸引到9.2萬名參觀者。許多參觀者都只是花50美元買一天的票，只看不買，看着世界上最富有的人如何買下這個星球上最昂貴的藝術品，比如去年某人如何花費約3400萬美元買下沃霍爾(Warhol)有着“可怕的假髮”的自畫像（這幅畫由紐約和倫敦畫廊Skarstedt出售）。阿克薩保險公司(Axa)是藝術展的贊助商之一，它估計今年藝術展上出售的藝術品價值在30億美元左右。

As Art Basel’s influence has grown, so too has the power of its jurors, each of whom typically serves for five to 10 years.

隨着巴塞爾藝術展影響力的增長，評委們的權力也在增加，他們每人的任期一般是五到十年。

“I imagine,” said Amy Cappellazzo, an art adviser, with perhaps a touch of understatement, “being a member of this committee would make you popular among your peer group.”

“我猜想，”藝術顧問艾米·卡佩拉佐(Amy Cappellazzo)用輕描淡寫的語氣說，“當上這個委員會的成員會讓你在朋友們當中更受歡迎一點兒。”

Marc Spiegler, the director of Art Basel, a Swiss company that also runs art fairs in Miami and Hong Kong, said he chooses the committee for Basel with an eye to balancing geography and taste, seeking experienced jurors of such standing that other dealers will accept being judged by them. Because five of the six votes are needed to readmit an existing gallery and four of six to put a new gallery into contention for the remaining slots, he said there was no way for a single juror to torpedo a gallery’s chances.

巴塞爾藝術展是一家瑞士公司，同時還運營邁阿密和香港的藝術展，公司總監馬克·斯皮格勒(Marc Spiegler)說，他在選擇巴塞爾藝術展的評審委員會時要平衡地域與品位，要尋找有經驗、有地位的評委，好讓其他交易商可以心悅誠服地接受他們的評判。如果一個已經參展的畫廊希望繼續留在今年的展會中，需要六名評委中有五名給它投票；四名評委投票才能令一個新畫廊成爲空缺席位的候選者，然後再由評委進行討論，斯皮格勒說，單憑某一個評委是無法破壞某個畫廊的機會的。

The jurors, who separately operate German, Swiss, Italian and American galleries, begin their work about 11 months before the fair. In a series of gatherings, they and their advisers discuss their selections, vote, consider appeals and ponder larger questions: Should they include contemporary Chinese artists? Yes. Art by artists coming of age in the digital era? Definitely.

評委們在德國、瑞士、意大利與美國各自運營着畫廊，在展會開展前11個月便開始了評審工作，他們會和顧問討論自己的選擇、投票，要考慮畫廊的吸引力，還有更宏大的問題：他們應該把當代中國藝術家吸收進來嗎？應該。電腦時代成長起來的年輕藝術家們的作品呢？當然也應該。

Once the fair starts, jurors arrive each morning at 8 to make sure that galleries that have sold items the day before do not replace the empty spaces on their walls with inferior art. If they have, dealers could be shown the door.

展會一開始，評委們就會每天早晨八點趕到會場，檢查那些在前一天售出作品的畫廊是否會在空出來的地方放上質量低劣的作品。畫廊這樣做會被趕出會場。

For their efforts, jurors are paid a small honorarium and expenses, and they routinely have their ears chewed by eager supplicants.

評委們可以得到一小筆禮金和報酬，平日裏，急切的申請者總會在他們耳邊喋喋不休。

“Someone is trying to kiss you somewhere — metaphorically speaking,” a former juror, Claes Nordenhake, said of the lobbying. “And you know that the reason is not because they love or respect you but because they want to come close to the fair.”

“總有人想拍你的……馬屁，”前評委克拉斯·諾登海克(Claes Nordenhake)談起這些遊說行爲。“你知道，這不是因爲他們愛你、尊敬你，是因爲他們想接近展會。”

The process has its critics.

評審過程受到一些批評。

Gerd Harry Lybke, director of a German gallery, Eigen +Art, a frequent Basel exhibitor who was denied admission in 2011 but readmitted the next year and now regularly shows, said the selection panel should consist of museum directors and curators rather than rival dealers.

德國畫廊Eigen +Art的總監戈爾德·哈里·里布克(Gerd Harry Lybke)是巴塞爾的常客，2011年，他拒絕參展，但翌年又重新參展，現在也一直參展，他說評委會應該由博物館總監和策展人組成，而不是有競爭關係的交易商們。

“If it were a car fair, would the judges be other car companies?” he said.

“如果開一個汽車博覽會，評委難道會是來自其他汽車公司的人嗎？”他說。

Dealers have sued (unsuccessfully), and in the late 1990s the Swiss authorities, reacting to the fair’s market power, reviewed whether the fair violated the country’s antitrust provisions. No violations were found, but the authorities convinced the fair to create an appeals process for rejected galleries. (About 50 galleries a year appeal; about five eventually get in, after the fair asks them to up their games.)

交易商們曾經訴訟過展會（未成功），90年代末，瑞士官方意識到展會的市場力量，調查該展會是否違背了本國的反壟斷法。最後沒有發現任何違法現象，但官方說服展會爲被拒絕的畫廊開設上訴程序（每年有50個畫廊上訴；最終會有五個畫廊在藝術展要求他們升級展品後，得以進入展會）。

“We bend over backwards to be fair,” said Lucy Mitchell-Innes, a juror, who formerly ran Sotheby’s contemporary art department and co-owns the New York gallery Mitchell-Innes & Nash.

“我們想盡量做到公平，”評委露西·米歇爾-英尼斯(Lucy Mitchell-Innes)說，此前她曾負責蘇富比的當代藝術部門，並與他人聯合擁有紐約的米歇爾-英尼斯與納什畫廊(Mitchell-Innes & Nash)。

The committee looks for galleries that, among other things, are cutting edge, reflect geographic diversity in the art market and can demonstrate they have developed an artist’s career.

在衆多條件當中，評委會最希望參展畫廊擁有自己的特色，能反映出藝術市場的地域多樣性，並展示出他們對藝術家發展自己事業生涯的幫助。

“They have to evolve,” Mr. Spiegler said of the galleries.

“他們必須不斷進步，”斯皮格勒說。

He said he travels the world encouraging emerging galleries to apply.

他說自己周遊世界，鼓勵新崛起的畫廊申請參展。

“There is no tenure at Art Basel,” Mr. Spiegler said. “There is no seniority.”

“巴塞爾藝術展不搞終身制，”他說，“我們也不搞排資論輩。”

But that depends on how you define tenure and seniority.

但這取決於你對“終身制”和“排資論輩”的定義。

Try, Try, Try Again

屢敗屢戰

Most galleries admitted for the first time, or after at least one year’s absence, end up in second-tier locations at the fair, according to six years of fair data. And most are not invited back the next year. More established dealers — the Gagosians, Paces and Zwirners, who derive power from their superstar clients and artists — dominate the inner aisles of the ground and second floors of the main hall, considered by many the most sought-after real estate in the art fair world.

根據六年來的藝術展數據，大多數第一次被允許進入藝術展的畫廊，或者中間缺席了至少一年的畫廊，最後在展會上都只能得到二線位置。他們當中的大多數翌年就不會再獲得邀請了。而像加戈西安(Gagosian)、佩斯(Pace)與茲沃納(Zwirner)這樣的常客交易商則會沾旗下的超級明星客戶與藝術家的光，佔據主會場一層與二層的內側畫廊，很多人都覺得這是藝術界最受人覬覦的位置。

On the ground floor, home to more than 100 galleries, typically about 90 percent were in the fair the prior year.

在一層，有100多家畫廊參展，一般而言，其中90%都是去年來過的。

Mr. Spiegler said the fair had reconfigured the ground floor layout this year to place booths exhibiting similar art next to one another, a decision that meant lots of galleries had to switch places. And the lineup of roughly 220 dealers in the fair’s main section, known as the Galleries sector, will feature a host of faces not present five years ago, he said.

斯皮格勒說，藝術展今年重新佈置了一層的格局，把展出較小型藝術的攤位放在一起，這樣不少畫廊就得互換位置。他說，這一次，參加藝術展主單元（名爲“畫廊單元”）的大約220名交易商中，有不少人都是五年前還沒有出現的。

“We feel that a turnover of 60 galleries in five years in the Galleries sector is a reflection of the development and changes within the art market,” he said.

“五年來，在畫廊單元中，有60家畫廊被替換掉，這種流動性反映出藝術市場的發展與變化，”他說。

Newcomers do break into the elite ranks and stick around, sometimes replacing veteran galleries. Consider Mr. McCaffrey, the New York dealer, who first applied for the 2011 fair, was admitted in 2012 and has returned every year since. He described his selection as “one of the most memorable moments of my life.”

有些新來者的確打破了精英階層，並堅持下來，有些畫廊取代了老畫廊。紐約交易商麥卡弗雷2011年第一次申請參展，2012年被允許參展，之後每一年都能來參加展會。他形容自己的入選是“這一生最值得紀念的時刻之一。”

Commercially, it makes sense to favor galleries whose status and drawing power is part of the fair’s appeal. “These galleries make the whole fair stronger to the benefit of everyone,” said Sam Keller, Mr. Spiegler’s predecessor in directing the fair. “You think twice before you kick any of them out.”

從商業角度而言，支持那些有地位、有權勢的畫廊也是展會的訴求之一。“這些畫廊讓整個藝術展更有實力，這對所有人都有好處，”在斯皮格勒之前的巴塞爾總監山姆·凱勒(Sam Keller)說，“讓任何人出局都得經過深思熟慮。”

And the veterans do not approach the fair lightly. A representative for the Manhattan gallery David Zwirner said that it saves its best material for Basel. A glossy catalog of Zwirner artists goes out to 1,500 buyers on the eve of the fair.

那些資深畫廊也不敢慢待巴塞爾。曼哈頓畫廊“大衛·茲沃納”(David Zwirner)的一位代表說，畫廊把最好的東西留給巴塞爾。在展會前夕，一份印刷精美的茲沃納藝術家名錄被分發給1500名買家。

Smaller galleries keep trying for Basel, and its alluring imprimatur. “It confers legitimacy,” said Cristin Tierney, a New York gallerist who failed to win entry this year but still plans to visit Basel.

小一些的畫廊仍在努力申請巴塞爾的參展資格，希望得到這份誘人的認可。“它授予你一種資格，”紐約畫廊經營者克里斯汀·蒂爾內(Cristin Tierney)說，他今年沒能獲得入場資格，但仍打算去巴塞爾看看。

Mr. Spiegler says the fair’s power sits heavily with those who make the decisions. “We know it is an existential issue for some galleries,” he said.

斯皮格勒說，展會的權力大量集中在那些做決定的人們手上。“我們知道，對於某些畫廊，這是生死攸關的大事，”他說。

Ms. Waxter, who was rejected again this year, said she had no hard feelings. “That is what happens,” she said. “That’s life.”

瓦科斯塔今年也再次遭到了拒絕，她說自己不覺得難過。“就是這樣，”她說，“這就是生活。”