Coronavirus (COVID-19) is the most disquieting calamity of present-day life. The virus has perturbed the balance of an increasingly developed world, which has triggered the wave of changes in the hearts and minds of people around the globe. You can hardly find a person who is not familiar with a dreadful word — coronavirus. Even if one does not feel the impact of the disease, now it is common for all of us to be limited in our willingness to pass through life as before. The cultural shift is already quite big so that we feel as if we have entered a cultural quarantine zone. A full range of sport and social events have been canceled or postponed, not to mention that the coronavirus has greatly affected the art world.

The impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) on the art world

From the outset, the appearance of the virus helped foster poor prognosis regarding the future. As the situation continues to deteriorate, more and more international fairs are beeing closed beforehand or coming to a full stop to prevent the transmission of the virus. One such example is TEFAF Maastricht (The European Fine Art Fair) that closed four days early after a dealer happened to be infected. Another example would be Art Basel Hong Kong that has also been officially canceled for its 2020 edition. International auction houses Christie’s and Phillips have shut all locations across Europe and the US, with almost all sales in March and April being postponed or suspended. With such an impact on the art world, the art calendar has been literally turned upside down.

No matter how we feel about coronavirus (COVID-19), it is the matter of how it sways the life around us. The dramatic changes in the art world for numerous international art fairs and art institutions have already gone far beyond the borders. 300Magazine actively monitors the situation around the virus. Since we are part of the global art community, we genuinely support every artist, gallery, and everyone who has been affected around the world and hope for the speedy recovery of humanity. Follow the guidelines of health officials and take care of yourself!