Galleries’ digital transformation accelerates
The Art Basel and UBS Global Art Market Report shows that the online shift was already in place – with Covid-19, it now has a new impetus
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![Works by Harriet Korman (left) and Dona Nelson (right), presented by Thomas Erben Gallery at Art Basel Miami Beach 2019. Image © Art Basel.](https://dza2a2ql7zktf.cloudfront.net/binaries-cdn/dqzqcuqf9/image/fetch/q_auto,dpr_auto,c_fill,f_auto,w_auto/https://d2u3kfwd92fzu7.cloudfront.net/asset/cms/ABMB19__Misc__Public_Interactions__MC_0954.jpg)
![Galleries saw a steady art market in 2019, with sales climbing 2% from 2018, to $36.8 billion, accounting for just over half of the total market, estimated at $64.1 billion.](https://dza2a2ql7zktf.cloudfront.net/binaries-cdn/dqzqcuqf9/image/fetch/q_auto,dpr_auto,c_fill,f_auto,w_auto/https://d2u3kfwd92fzu7.cloudfront.net/asset/cms/AMR_Global-Sales.jpg)
![McAndrew’s report documents an uptick of some 8% year-on-year in the female percentage of rosters at primary-market galleries, to a record 44%.](https://dza2a2ql7zktf.cloudfront.net/binaries-cdn/dqzqcuqf9/image/fetch/q_auto,dpr_auto,c_fill,f_auto,w_auto/https://d2u3kfwd92fzu7.cloudfront.net/asset/cms/Art_Basel_Art_Market_Graphs_2020_3.jpg)
![Many gallerists see online sales as a path forward, especially as younger generations become comfortable making major purchases via the internet.](https://dza2a2ql7zktf.cloudfront.net/binaries-cdn/dqzqcuqf9/image/fetch/q_auto,dpr_auto,c_fill,f_auto,w_auto/https://d2u3kfwd92fzu7.cloudfront.net/asset/cms/Art_Basel_Art_Market_Graphs_2020_5-1.jpg)