Ghada Amer, The Big Black Bang (2013).
Photo: Courtesy Cheim & Read.

VIEWERS CHOICE
Anthony Haden-Guest reports on the state of the middle market in New York. While a generalized diagnosis eludes his grasp, he notes several key factors that are pushing out the most innovative of New York’s dealers and creating a 1 percent of dealers. Principal among them: the endemic and ultimately predatory poaching of mid-level galleries’ best artists by larger competitors—which leads to them never seeing a return on their considerable investment.

CRITICAL
This week, artnet News cast its net wide: 7 critics review 20 New York shows. Focused on Chelsea and the Upper East Side, the list runs the gamut from Urs Fischer’s (annoyingly memorable) attempt at a last supper at Gagosian on Park Avenue to Caroline Wells Chandler at Field Projects’ 26th Street space.

MARKETABLE
The 48th edition of the world’s first art fair, Art Cologne, kicked off on Wednesday. Alexander Forbes was on hand to tally up the swift and numerous sales that made many dealers claim this latest edition was the fair’s best on record. Highlights included dueling solo shows of Tal R and Gert and Uwe Tobias, courtesy of Contemporary Fine Arts and Johann Koenig’s sale of 30 works on the first day alone.

ANALYTICS
Rozalia Jovanovic takes an in-depth look at the markets of Sigmar Polke and Anselm Kiefer. Her findings:  Kiefer may have had steady market success since the 1980s, but Polke is catching up and then some. His new exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art certainly can’t hurt.

MARKETABLE (BONUS ROUND)
Are members of the tech industry ready to become art collectors? Ben Sutton reports from the inaugural Silicon Valley Contemporary fair in San Jose.

NEWS TO KNOW
Gurlitt Gives German Task Force One Year to Research Provenance of Suspected Nazi Loot

Guggenheim Bilbao Censors “Offensive” Paul McCarthy and Mike Bouchet Public Artwork

Florida Pastor Convicted of Selling Forged Damien Hirst Paintings

Britain’s Culture Secretary Maria Miller Resigns Amid Expense Scandal

Forgotten Rembrandt Pulled from Storage in Omaha