THE INSPIRATION PLACE PODCAST
Miriam Schulman: We’re going to look at what came out of Art Basel and Miami Art week. This is going to affect collector behavior. Yes, at the top end. But the top end telegraphs what trickles down into the mid-market and what smart artists like you should do next. Hey, it’s Miriam Schulman here and you’re listening to the Inspiration Place podcast. And welcome back to 2026. This is a year of expansion, especially for the art market. So today we’re doing something a little different because I’ve been getting the reports back from Art Basel, Miami Beach and Miami Art week, and I want to break down what happened there in a way that actually matters to you. Because yes, Art Basel is the land of six and seven figure artwork six, seven, six, seven. But don’t tune out because the top end of the market is like the weather system. And what happens up there? It doesn’t stay up there. It’s kind of like how weather in Portland makes its way across the country to New York and has a way of filtering throughout. So although there’s things that happen on the top of the market, this does matter to where most of you are selling your work. So it doesn’t matter if you sell originals, prints, commissions, small work. If you’re building a commission base and you’re trying to get into galleries. This is not rich people news. This matters to you. This is collector behavior news.
Miriam Schulman: And there’s some really encouraging signals coming out of Miami with a few warnings too. But I’m going to translate all of it into what it means to you, a real artist with a real business. So let’s get into it. Let’s talk about, First, the headline that a lot of people are using and why that is not the whole story. So the negative headline I hear is this some galleries are struggling, some galleries have closed, and even Art Basel itself had 14 galleries pull out. But that was out of 285. Now if you want to spin it, you could say, oh my God, the sky is falling, the art market is collapsing, everybody run. But here’s the part that I want you to hear this in a different way. So there were 12 new galleries who were ready to swoop in and take every single one of those spots. Meaning even if some galleries are withdrawing, other galleries are doing really, really well. They’re rising. They want in. They’re hungry. And the galleries who withdrew. They weren’t all saying we’re doomed. Some of them just said something a little bit more practical. They said we did three fairs this fall and we don’t need Miami. Which let me translate that. That’s not the art market is dead. That’s. Miami was the least necessary drain on our time and our money. And another gallery basically said that the slump is in the rear view mirror and there’s momentum going forward.
Miriam Schulman: So the signal isn’t. The market is dead. The signal is the market is selective. That’s the theme. That’s the drumbeat. Not doom selectivity. And by the way, Art Basel is just one fair. So Miami Art week includes a whole universe, a whole satellite affairs and events. Red Dot, for example. So it’s not just Basel, It’s a whole ecosystem. And for years it’s been a barometer of the market in general. So when we look back at what sold and what didn’t, what people were saying, what kinds of galleries are winning and what kinds are struggling, you can absolutely learn from that, even if you’re not selling Warhols for 18 million, which, by the way, that was one of the artworks that sold last month. Hey artists, I want you to think of your art business as a mountain climb. If you try to scale it alone, you might struggle, slip, or even quit before reaching the peak. I Miriam Schulman an artist for over 25 years and hosted The Inspiration Place podcast and author of the book Artpreneur. Now, if you want to climb a steep mountain with a spectacular view from the top, you need a guide. That’s why I created the Artpreneur bootcamp. It’s your climbing team, your rope line, and your safety net. In just a few days, you’ll learn how to chart your course, avoid costly detours, and push past the fear that keeps so many artists stuck at base camp.
Miriam Schulman: If you’re ready to climb higher, faster and with more confidence, join us now! Schulmanart.com/bootcamp. One of the other big takeaways that I felt was really important is that Miami is getting stronger as an art city, and that matters. That’s a huge takeaway. Miami status as a serious art city is growing. There are seven Miami galleries that were selected to exhibit as part of Basel. And there’s this broader trend that’s been building. Some galleries are choosing to open their second location in Miami rather than New York. In other words, European galleries who, let’s say they have a someplace in Europe and they want to open a satellite location in the US. They’re choosing Miami over New York. That’s huge. Now, this makes sense because New York rent is very, very expensive. So what does that mean for you? It means the art world isn’t frozen in place and the centers of gravity shift. And whenever the center shifts, opportunity does also. Even if you never set foot in Miami, it matters that a city can become a collector hub because collector culture spreads. So let’s talk about what’s winning right now. Another big theme that came out of last month’s art fair was that it’s quality over quantity. I want to talk about the winning art coming out of Miami, because this has implications for artists globally.
Miriam Schulman: There is a Miami artist named Emma. Hopefully I’m saying that right. You spell it e a r I okay. And she makes these abstracted landscapes. And these works were priced at about 15,000 each. And he sold out all 13 of them sold out. And his dealer was basically like all these people whining about gloom and doom. That’s not what I’m experiencing. And he said something that I want you to hear because it applies at every level of the market. He said that whether you sell or not is going to depend on what you’re selling, and what a lot of dealers are dealing with right now is quality over quantity. So when people hear quality, they make it mean your art isn’t good enough. But that is not what I’m saying. I’m saying buyers are being choosier. They’re not buying because they’re in a frenzy. They’re buying because something matters to them, like what the art means. So if you’re buying a ton of work that looks like you’re trying to please everybody, you’re going to end up pleasing nobody. Whereas a cohesive body of work, something edited, something intentional, something that feels like you, that has a much better chance of converting people even in a selective market. So the lesson for you is not make better art. The lesson is make stronger choices. Curate yourself. Stop flooding your own storefront.
Miriam Schulman: This is something I talk about a lot to my artists. They want to include everything, like they have old artwork and I say, stop treating your website like a garage sale. You don’t need to put everything out there that hasn’t sold. Put only your best work there. What if they landed on this one? Art by mistake. Like you don’t want that one to be like, oh no, no, don’t look at that one. Don’t look over here. You want every single thing on your website to be something you’re proud of. Okay, that doesn’t mean it has to be perfect. That’s not what I’m trying to say. But those ones that even you don’t believe in anymore. Don’t put them on your website. So stop flooding your own storefront. Stop flooding your own booth. Like be very curated. Stop flooding your Instagram. Edit it. Curate it. Make it clear what it is that you do, why it matters, and why it’s different. Because the market is not weak. It’s just very selective. Now let’s talk about the truth about why some art galleries are closing. And it’s not lack of buyers. I want to bring in something that is really important. There was a gallery owner, Katya David Rosenthal of Kdr Gallery. In other words, her gallery, who basically said that some galleries aren’t doing well, but it’s not because people don’t want to buy art, it’s because they, the gallerists, made bad business decisions.
Miriam Schulman: She said a lot of gallerists were overleveraged. They borrowed money to expand their gallery space during the post pandemic boom, and the growth they experienced during the pandemic wasn’t sustainable. So now their overhead is what’s crushing them. And this matters to you because it’s a different narrative than nobody’s buying art right now. It’s more like some businesses expanded too fast and some businesses took on too much fixed costs. So when the market cooled, they couldn’t keep up. Which is why you’re seeing a rise actually in pop ups. So another gallery in little River basically said, we learned our lesson from Manhattan. We’re not taking on insane overhead rents, and if the overhead isn’t sustainable, it’s okay. We’ll just do more pop ups. Yes, that’s what I’ve been talking about. That’s what I’ve been talking about with art market trends. This is exactly what I’ve been saying. Pop ups are going to keep rolling through the gallery scene because they’re flexible, they’re lower risk. They can follow the collector energy. And for artists, that means you should not be sitting around waiting for the perfect white walled forever gallery to choose you. You can create visibility in more agile ways than ever before. So next, I want you to look at this artist, because this art is absolutely amazing. And it kind of gives you an idea of where the art market is headed.
Miriam Schulman: Susan Kim Alvarez I think this is very instructive. So, Katya, David Rosenthal is a kind of incumbent disruptor. She keeps her team lean. She only has one employee, but her artists are doing really well. And one of the artists she represents is Miami painter Susan Kim Alvarez. And her paintings are, well, I’m just obsessed. They’re these swirling, delirious portraits. They feel whimsical, but also monstrous. Like the painting is kind of smiling at you, but it might also eat you. And the two works I want to reference. And yes, we’re going to put these images into the YouTube version are Whiskey Betty, you gotta love that title and Mouth of Miami. And here’s why I’m bringing her up. This is not safe, Art. This is not pleasant. Over the couch art. It’s specific, it’s weird, and it’s her. And when you hear me talk about quality, this is the perfect Example, quality doesn’t mean polite. Quality doesn’t mean it’s a master. It doesn’t mean it’s a dead artist necessarily. Quality means the work has a pulse. It’s alive. It has a point of view. It’s not trying to be everything to everyone. And that is what cuts through when the market is selective. Another standout in Miami this year was Nina Johnson, who made her debut at Art Basel Miami Beach. And she’s a gallerist, and she said something I absolutely love, and I want you to steal it.
Miriam Schulman: Like make this like your own mantra when a lot of people are being timid. In other words, like when galleries are being timid, they’re afraid to show this is your opportunity to be bold. Yes, because timid does not stand out. Timid is invisible. Timid is forgettable. Timid is what you do when you’re scared. And here’s what’s interesting her Basil Booth mixed relatively untested artists alongside established art figures. That’s gutsy. That’s not playing it safe. And it signals something else. Galleries that have confidence are still building. They’re still investing. They’re taking smart bets. That means there’s opportunity for artists like you. So again, it’s not a dead market. It’s a selective market. And in a selective market bold wins. Now we have to talk about go big or go home, which is really the theme of Miami. Miami is the land of gaudiness and partying. And, I mean, I know a lot of people go down there because they want a celebrity spot and all that, but so yes, it’s a party destination. It’s a celebrity scene. It has spectacle, energy, and some galleries use that as a reason for sales, but also as a reason to go full conceptual fever dream. So I want to share something with you that sold out immediately at 100 grand each. Yes, $100,000 each. Like that many zeros. Beeple. That’s b e p l e. Yes, that Beeple created this piece called Regular Animals, and it was a pen of a pen, meaning, not a pen.
Miriam Schulman: You write with a pen like a, you know, like a fence around it type of pen, like a dog park. It was like a dog park of robotic dogs with human heads. And the human heads were tech titans Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, plus Andy Warhol and Picasso. Oh, and people put himself on a on a dog. So yeah, they were all men, of course. But but here’s the part that kills me. The dogs would periodically go into poop mode. So the dogs would crouch down, and then they would eject images taken from a front facing camera as Polaroids and those sold as digital artworks. And then the robotic dogs were priced at $100,000 each, and they all sold out immediately. That’s half $1 million in pooping robot dog energy. So what’s the takeaway? And it’s not everybody go make poop art. The real takeaway is unforgettable. Sells. Conversation Cells, spectacle cells, and artists who lean into what makes them unusual. Embrace that inner weirdo without apologizing are often the ones who can cut through all the noise and stand out. Because if you’re trying to be tasteful, quiet in a world that is loud and chaotic, you might need to be strategically louder. Not by copying people, but by being willing to fully commit to your own weirdness, whatever that is like.
Miriam Schulman: Embrace your inner weirdo. Embrace it. Now, there were also some very big name, very established sales blue chip. I’m talking museum level stuff like Rothko. So one thing that sold was a Warhol portrait of Muhammad Ali that went for around 18 million. Alice Neel for around 3.3 million. Josef Albers for around 2.5 million. Louise Bourgeois, 3.2 million. And then there was also a Gerard Richter and his went for 5.5 million. Who I think is still alive. Actually, I think he’s a contemporary artist. He’s still alive now. Richter was born in 1932, and as far as I know, he’s still living. So we’re not going to declare him dead on the internet. That’s not my brand. But let me tell you why these cells matter. Even if you’re like Miriam, I am not a Warhol and I don’t sell Warhols, and I’m not a museum. And what are these million dollar sales have to do with me? It’s because the top end confidence influences the entire market psychology. When big collectors are spending, it signals confidence. When there’s confidence at the top, it tends to loosen the fear lower down. It doesn’t mean everything instantly becomes easy, but it does mean the narrative of collapse that the art market is dead is completely exaggerated. Now, I’ll tell you the one thing that did collapse NFTs collapsed. But speculation didn’t just disappear, it shifted. Now, if you feel like maybe you missed out on NFTs, let me just reassure you.
Miriam Schulman: You did not miss your destiny. You just missed a speculative mania. It’s fine. But here’s what didn’t collapse the appetite for cultural relevance. The appetite for conversation pieces, the appetite for work that signals something, that energy just moved. And the artist who can create meaning, not just decoration. If that’s you, you’re going to keep winning. Hey, us creative entrepreneurs, especially artists. Do you ever feel like you’ve wandered off the trail? Maybe you’re lost in the woods without a signal. Unsure of which way to go next. I’m Miriam Schulman, author of Artpreneur and host of The Inspiration Place podcast. For over 25 years I’ve been a professional artist and also the compass that helps artists and creative entrepreneurs find their way. Choosing one clear path and finally reaching the summit. Here’s what I know. When you’re lost, you don’t need more random advice. You need a compass, something that shows you the way forward. That’s why I created the free Artpreneur bootcamp. In just three days, you’ll get your trail map and your compass, so you’ll find your way back to the path and move forward to your goals with confidence. You’ll replace hesitation with momentum, fear with courage, and pressure with joy. Rediscovering why you fell in love with making art in the first place. And best of all, you’ll leave feeling inspired again, believing in your vision and your ability to bring it to life.
Miriam Schulman: Join me for free over at SchulmanArt.com/bootcamp. Your trail map, your compass, and your path to the summit are waiting. Now here’s another big trend coming out of Miami that I found really interesting and really important. There’s a return to art with a spiritual basis. One collector, an ex-husband guy, unnamed but quoted. He said that in a robot world that’s increasingly impersonal, handmade objects and the spirituality that goes into them will be appreciated more than ever. So he basically said, people have money and they want their houses to look better with art in them, which is the most honest collector quote ever. So let’s bring this back to you. In a world dominated by AI, by screens, by sameness, your handmade work has an advantage. Your texture has an advantage for human touch. So even if you’re working digitally or doing it, photography has an advantage. Not because you need to make spiritual art, but because your work has soul work that feels like a human made it with intention. It’s going to matter more, not less. And if anything, the more technology accelerates, the more people are going to crave what feels real. So let’s wrap up. Here is my takeaway for you from Miami Art week. Yeah, some galleries are closing, but more galleries are opening. So yes, there was a withdrawal at the fair. But the real story is not gloom and doom.
Miriam Schulman: The real story is selectivity, confidence and opportunity for boldness. The market is rewarding a strong point of view. Edited bodies of work artists who don’t apologize for what makes them different, galleries that are nimble instead of overleveraged pop ups and flexible models. And honestly, work that feels either unforgettable or deeply human. And if the funniest thing that sold was a pooping robot dog for $100,000, then listen, you do not have permission to be boring. So just write that out over and over again. I will not make boring art. You do not have permission to stand down your edges. You do not have permission to make art like you’re trying too hard to be. Pick me girl. Your job is to make art that makes people think. That makes people feel. That makes them feel something that makes them talk. So. Yeah. Embrace your inner weirdo. Create art that makes people go, oh my God. Go big, go bold or go home. All right. That’s what I’ve got for you today. Now, if you love this kind of market decoding and you want more episodes like this one, make sure you’re following the show. Hit the subscribe and share this with an artist friend who needs a little confidence boost right now. All right, my friend. I will see you the same time, same place next week. Until then, stay inspired.
Speaker 2: Thank you for listening to the Inspiration Place podcast. Connect with us on Facebook, at Facebook.com/SchulmanArt on Instagram, at @SchulmanArt, and of course on SchulmanArt.com.
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