Portends for the art market are couched in somewhat gloomy terms, but for this veteran gallerist such challenging times can be a good thing, presenting different sorts of opportunities and a refocus on works of enduring quality. ROD PATTENDEN catches up with art dealer Paul Greenaway.

This year will be a difficult one for the art market in Australia. All the way down the chain of desire, from collectors, through auction houses and galleries, and finally to the humble artist, the economic downturn will bite into all aspects of the production and pleasure of art. The red line will get redder, the blue chip end will get paler, and the wine served at opening will perhaps get that little more astringent. There will be fewer opportunities, less risk taking and, no doubt, fewer galleries to engage both artists and collectors. Running an art gallery through such troubled times may prove to be a precarious task.

Yet long-time director of Greenaway Art Gallery in Adelaide’s east end, Paul Greenaway is facing this situation with passion and energy. As he talks about his role he tends to speak in relational terms, of creating opportunities for artists and audiences, rather than in economic or simply commercial terms. He is willing to see this period of crisis as a productive challenge for both artists and galleries. He explains, “In some ways it’s a good thing to happen to the art world. It provides an opportunity for challenging works, in difficult and braver times.”

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Click on the following links for more information on Greenaway Art Gallery, GAGPROJECTS or the South Australian Living Artists Festival.

Images:(from top)

Jenny Watson, Stepping Stone (boy), 2008, acrylic on rabbit skin glue primed cotton with ribbon stripe organza cover, 190 x 95cm. Courtesy the artist and Greenaway Art Gallery, Adelaide.

Photograph: Paul Greenaway (pictured next to Gordon Bennett's 9/11, 2001 from the Notes to Basquiat (series) 1998/2002.

Sally Smart, Exquisite Pirate (Oceania), 2008, felt, fabric material, dimensions variable. Courtesy the artist and Greenaway Art Gallery, Adelaide.

Ariel Hassan, The Geometry of Resistance (I could be bounded in a nutshell, and count myself a king of infinite space) (installation), 2008, acrylic on wood, 400 x 400 x 26cm. Courtesy the artist and Greenaway Art Gallery, Adelaide.